OCHOPEE, Fla. — Hunters in the Big Cypress National Preserve, near the Florida Everglades, caught a 17-foot long, 140 pound female python, the preserve said Friday afternoon.

• 17-foot, 140 pound female python caught in Big Cypress Preserve
• Preserve said the team used radio transmitters to locate breeding snakes
• LINK: Frequently asked questions about burmese pythons
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The record-setting catch has many talking not only about the snake but how they caught it in the first place.

The national park on Facebook said the python is the largest python ever removed from the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Park officials also said the female snake had 73 developing eggs.

The National Parks Service researchers revealed the new approach to finding pythons.

"Using male pythons with radio transmitters allows the team to track the male to locate breeding females," said the Big Cypress Facebook post. "The team not only removes the invasive snakes, but collects data for research, develop new removal tools, and learn how the pythons are using the Preserve."

The post goes on to explain the team tracked one of the males with a transmitter and found the massive female nearby.

Florida Fish and Wildlife told Spectrum News the pythons are invasive and are negatively impacting other wildlife, primarily in South Florida.

If anyone has seen the reptile in Tampa Bay or Central Florida, officials said it's because it escaped or was a released pet.

As far as breeding, once the reptile has gone fugitive from Central Florida homes, officials said it's unlikely.

FWC said there is no evidence they're multiplying up north.

"We currently do not have data specific to that question, however, journal articles indicate that pythons will be limited by cold temperature and will therefore not spread throughout Florida," explained Carli Segelson, FWC spokesperson.

FWC just started a task-force for python management along with their colleagues at the National Parks Service, university researchers and non-profits.

Their first meeting on this was within days of the record setting female python catch.

There's no accurate estimate of the number of pythons in Florida.

Officials said they don't directly threaten researchers but are endangering the other wildlife that's getting studied.