How do you take your python — deep-fried or sautéed in spices and olive oil? Though you might want to think twice for placing your order.
The Florida Department of Health has recently penned an advisory of “do not consume python” caught in the state, no matter the snake size because of the risk of unhealthy mercury levels in its meat.
However, some are still taking a nibble on the invasive snake. While its not against the law to eat python, it’s just not recommended, according to FWC’s Python Challenge website. Here’s what to know before trying it out.
What are Burmese pythons? See how big invasive snakes get
The Burmese python is a large, nonvenomous constrictor snake that is an invasive species in Florida. Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida via the pet trade and are now well established in the Everglades, where the snake represents a threat to the ecosystem.
Burmese pythons typically grow to 16 feet long, weighing 200 pounds, with the largest Burmese python ever measured caught at 19 feet in Naples on July 12, 2023.
The pythons are found just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County. However, officials last year said they are currently trying to learn more about Burmese pythons removed from the Charlotte County area.
What is the Florida Python Challenge? It ends this Sunday
The Florida Python Challenge is a 10-day competition created by FWC to encourage participants to remove pythons from seven commission-managed lands in South Florida.
The annual Everglades python hunt started at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 9 and will end at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18. There is $25,000 in prizes up for grabs during this year’s hunt.
FWC officials claim the intent of the challenge is to not only remove the predators but also to spread awareness of the dangers they pose. The competition also seeks to protect the Everglades habitat and all its native animals by removing the invasive Burmese pythons.
Can you eat python meat? Why it isn’t recommended by the FWC
According to the FWC, some Burmese pythons removed from the Everglades that have been tested for mercury levels have contained amounts of mercury considered too high for human consumption.
“Though it is not illegal to eat python meat, the Florida Department of Health recently finalized a consumption advisory for Burmese pythons found in Florida, advising “Do Not Consume Python” due to the high levels of mercury found in python meat. For more information regarding this advisory, please contact the Florida Department of Health,” it shares on the challenge’s website.
In a Palm Beach Post article, they shared that toxicology results on 487 snakes were reviewed by the state’s health department and led to its advisory, as explained in a March 8 letter to FWC’s non-native wildlife coordinator McKayla Spencer.
The letter also notes that because there is no known meal size for snakes, the standard 8 ounces used for fish was also used in the python testing.
Are some Burmese pythons more poisonous than others? Study says so
Much of the mercury in Florida comes from pollution in the sky, raining down from towering clouds that grab it in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
In Everglades National Park, the mercury mixes with sulfur coming from agriculture upstream. The sulfur oxidizes to sulfate, which energizes microbes that turn mercury into methylmercury, which is what accumulates in the food chain.
In a 2019 study, researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, found lower levels of mercury in pythons that live in the southwest region of the state, including Picayune Strand State Forest and Big Cypress National Preserve.
The 2019 study also found little correlation between python size, age and mercury level.
Will I get instantly sick if I eat Burmese python?
If you do see an unusual python-centric dish you want to try, don’t be too scared to try it. If you are not frequently exposed to organic mercury, which is found in fish who eat methylmercury (a type of organic mercury), you should be okay if the meat was already deemed safe enough to consume.
In a 2020 Palm Beach Post report, water management district python hunter Donna Kalil said she only eats python a few times a year, and uses a mercury testing kit to look for high levels of the chemical element in her meat.
See symptoms of organic mercury poisoning
According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of organic mercury poisoning don’t occur immediately and usually arise after long periods of contact (could be years or decades) with the compound. Though not always common, being exposed to a large amount of organic mercury at one time can cause symptoms.
State officials monitor mercury levels because the naturally occurring chemical element is a neurotoxin that can impair brain functioning, harm the kidneys and damage the nervous systems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Symptoms of organic mercury poisoning from long-term exposure include:
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Feeling numb or dull pain in certain parts of your body.
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Tremors (uncontrollable shaking).
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Unsteady walk.
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Double vision or blurry vision; blindness.
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Memory loss.
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Seizures.
It is recommended by healthcare professionals that people eat a limited amount of fish or remove fish from their diet if they are exposed to large amounts of methylmercury can cause brain damage to developing fetuses. It’s also harmful to young children.
What is the flavor of python meat?
Many experts and chefs have described python meat as chewy and tasting similar to chicken or pork.
Though according to Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsey, WHO caught and cooked a python for his show “The F Word,” he felt that the python was dry and sinewy.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Burmese python meat not recommended to eat. What to know
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