The Burmese python was captured on camera swallowing a whole 35-kilogram white-tailed deer.

Scientists in Florida shared an extraordinary moment this week: A Burmese python was captured on camera swallowing a whole 35-kilogram white-tailed deer.

Wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek from the Southwest Florida Conservation Authority recorded footage of the 4.5-meter-long and 52-kilogram female python opening its jaws to consume the deer while observing pythons in the Florida Everglades.

Bartoszek stated in an interview with Life Science, "We felt like we had caught a serial killer in the act. Observing this in real-time was very impressive."

According to CBS News, Bartoszek noted that this species can eat "just about anything furry and feathery," and when describing their feeding habits, he said, "it's easier to say what they don't eat."

As one of the three authors of a study published in August in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians, Bartoszek examined the limits of what Burmese pythons can swallow. The study, which looked at three snakes, found that this species can open its jaws to 26 centimeters, more than the previously known limit of 22 centimeters.

Bartoszek remarked, "This was the most impressive sight we have seen while observing pythons in southwest Florida for the past 12 years. It was truly primal and felt like a scene that has played out for millions of years wherever large snakes are found."

"Unfortunately, native wildlife in Florida did not evolve alongside this apex predator, and you see the consequences of that in these images," he added.

Capturing Burmese pythons, which are known to eat animals like alligators and deer and are considered an invasive species in Florida, during feeding moments is generally difficult. However, researchers managed to record this rare moment on camera.

The research shows that the deer swallowed by the python was about 66.9% of its own body weight.

According to the conservation authority, knowing the limits of prey sizes that snakes can consume can help "predict the ecological impact that invasive snakes may have as they spread to new areas."

The authority's Burmese Python Research and Removal team has removed 77,000 adult pythons from the area over the past 12 years.

Thanks to a tracking device on a male python named Ronin, scientists were able to locate the female snake that ate the deer. Bartoszek noted that the captured pythons are "humanely euthanized" before breeding to control the population.

"We have great respect for Burmese pythons, and their presence here is not their fault. However, we are aware of their impact on native wildlife, and we are not standing by idly about it," he added.