The biggest Burmese python ever recorded in Florida has been caught in the Everglades, US scientists say.

The snake measuring 17ft 7in (5.18m) and weighing 164lb (74kg) was found in Everglades National Park, the University of Florida announced.

The python - now dead - was pregnant with 87 eggs, also believed to be a record.

Non-native Burmese pythons have been blamed for a staggering decline of mammals in Florida's Everglades.

Scientists say the latest discovery shows just how pervasive the snakes, native to South East Asia, have become in South Florida.

"It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild," said Kenneth Krysko, at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

"There's nothing stopping them, and the native wildlife are in trouble."

He said that the snake had feathers in its stomach that would help to identify the types of wildlife it was eating, BBC News reported.