( CNN ) -- A Burmese python slithering through the Everglades proved that her eyes were n't bigger than her stomach , swallowing intact a 76-pound deer . At 15.65 feet , the python is n't the largest on record . But the size of her prey both impresses and concerns state and federal wildlife scientists and land managers trying to control the non-native species . `` They are large exotic animals that are not naturally from this area , '' said Randy Smith , spokesperson for the South Florida Water Management District . `` The potential to wreak havoc on the natural Florida wildlife ... they do n't have true enemies . '' Contractors spraying exotic vegetation Thursday came across the female python on an island about 20 miles from Everglades National Park , Smith told CNN Tuesday . It was dispatched , by protocol , with a single shotgun blast to the head . A necropsy conducted by Everglades National Park wildlife biologists showed the python had a girth of 44.1 inches after devouring the adult female deer . The snake normally weighed 139 pounds . Officials Tuesday said they are trying to determine the age and health of the deer . `` We see them on a regular basis , '' Smith said of pythons . `` We 've dispatched hundreds of these in the past few years . '' The menu for Burmese , rock and African pythons includes rodents , birds or smaller snakes . In 2005 , a python apparently busted its gut after it had consumed a 6-foot alligator . Some of the snakes may have escaped enclosures after Hurricane Andrew 's widespread destruction in 1992 . But there 's a more likely cause for the problem . `` Obviously , some of these were pets , '' Smith said . When people realize they are going to grow up to be much larger than they expected , they often release the creatures into the wild . That 's the worst thing you can do , officials said . Management and park officials have tried trapping , but that 's largely failed . Scientists and park managers are studying the exotic reptiles ' breeding habits and pinpointing their locations to devise a strategy for controlling them . `` It 's not meant to be successful in this habitat , '' Linda Friar , spokeswoman for Everglades National Park , said of the Burmese python . `` We do n't have any idea how many there are . This is the biggest ( one ) we have ever dealt with . '' The giant reptiles compete with alligators and crocodiles . Although pythons have been found in or near some residential areas west of Miami , there have been no reports of injuries to people , Smith said . Friar said invasive fish species , such as walking catfish and lionfish , are an even bigger problem in southern Florida . CNN 's John Branch contributed to this report .
Python nearly 16 feet long devours deer whole . Reptile was killed near Everglades National Park . Scientists want to know more about the giant invasive species .