Miami ( CNN ) -- University of Florida researchers examining the carcass of a large , pregnant Burmese python said Monday they found a record 87 eggs inside , giving them important clues about the reproductive capability of the dangerous , invasive species . Scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the university 's campus examined the 164.5-pound , 17.5-foot snake Friday after it was brought there from the Everglades National Park . It is the largest one ever found at the park . `` This thing is monstrous -- it 's about a foot wide , '' said Kenneth Krysko , the manager of the museum 's herpetology collection . `` It means there 's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble . '' Pythons wiping out mammals in Everglades , researchers say . Everglades National Park and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are working with other agencies on the problem of the Burmese python , a non-native but established species in Florida that is one of the deadliest and most competitive predators in the southern part of the state , according to the university . The snakes have no known predator , and population estimates range from the thousands to hundreds of thousands . Previous records for Burmese pythons captured in the wild were 16.8 feet long and 85 eggs . Scientists say research of the snake 's biology is important in understanding how to stop the python 's spread -- not just in the Everglades , but also in the state and around the world . `` I think one of the important facts about this animal is its reproductive capability , '' said park wildlife biologist Skip Snow . `` There are not many records of how many eggs a large female snake carries in the wild . This shows they 're a really reproductive animal , which aids in their invasiveness . '' 16-foot python devours deer in Florida . The snake was so big that researchers had to pile it on top of itself and wheel it into the examination room on a flat cart . They laid it on a series of tables lined up end to end , and then five researchers worked side by side to dissect the length of the snake . The Burmese python is native to Southeast Asia and was first found in the Everglades in 1979 , the university says . They were determined to be an established species in 2000 . `` They were here 25 years ago , but in very low numbers and it was difficult to find one because of their cryptic behavior , '' Krysko said . `` Now , you can go out to the Everglades nearly any day of the week and find a Burmese python . We 've found 14 in a single day . '' There are state laws now that prohibit people from owning Burmese pythons as pets or taking them across state lines without a federal permit . Floridians can also hunt them during certain seasons if they have the proper license and permits . Florida has the world 's worst problem with invasive reptiles and amphibians , the university said . In a study published last year in the journal Zootaxa , Krysko found 137 non-native species were introduced to Florida between 1863 and 2010 , with pet trade determined to be the No . 1 cause . Readers ' solutions for Florida 's wild python problems .
The python is 17.5 feet long and weighed 164.5 pounds . It is the largest ever found in the Florida Everglades . Scientists are hoping for clues about how to stop the snakes ' spread . The species is dangerous and invasive , with no known predator .