Kevin Pavlidis, a 29-year-old Fort Lauderdale resident known as Snakeaholic, captured an 18-foot-4-inch python in Puerto Rico that he called the longest ever taken there. After a resident reported the snake constricting a cat, Pavlidis and local hunter Wilson Maldonado Velez located it near an abandoned septic tank in jungle vegetation, secured both ends, and carried it uphill for a videotaped measurement.

Pavlidis previously wrestled alligators for six years after moving from Long Island, New York, where he studied finance and international business. His Puerto Rico work targets invasive reticulated pythons to protect native wildlife.