High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to Southeast Asia, but toward the end of the 20th century, they established themselves as a breeding population in the U.S. state of Florida, specifically in the Everglades. A popular exotic animal that has been released or has escaped from people`s homes or outdoor enclosures, the first of these snakes was observed in Everglades National Park in 1979. Their ability to adapt aggressively to the South Florida environment has prompted authorities to name them as an invasive species. Between 2001 and 2005, more than 200 Burmese pythons were observed in park boundaries and National Park Service staff created a policy to remove and euthanize them immediately. The estimated population of pythons in the Everglades is between 5,000 and 180,000, and they can be found in all areas of Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and have been observed north of the parks` boundaries.