A Burmese python 13 and a half feet long moved into a Florida zoo yesterday. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens newest exhibit featured some of the nation's largest living snakes to celebrate it's new 48 foot, life-sized replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa snake - the heaviest and longest snake ever discovered. Though it might have looked tiny next to its ancestor, the zoo's Burmese python was no small thing, clocking in at 112 pounds. The currently unnamed female python is on loan to the zoo until September. A Burmese python 13 and a half feet long made an appearance at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens newest exhibit yesterday that featured some of the nation's largest living snakes . Guests could take pictures and touch the 112 pound reptile. The Burmese python can reach more than 17 feet and weigh 400 pounds . Dan Maloney, the zoo's deputy director of animal care and conservation, told Daily Mail Online that the snake was 'pretty large' for a Burmese python but that she had a 'great temperament'. 'She's a nice snake and she's gorgeous and a pretty thing as can be,' he said, adding that her relaxed mood will make her great for school visits. Maloney said the python is fed frozen rabbits that are thawed out. The zoo's snakes are never fed live food in order to protect their safety. 'Its much easier for quality control,' he said. 'And live food, even rabbits, can severely bite the face of a snake. They're also trying to avoid being dinner.' A rock python, an anaconda and an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the largest rattlesnake and the heaviest venomous snake in the Americas, have also moved into the exhibit. The Burmese python is well-known in the state, where its hardly been harmless. A recent U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service study found that there are 150,000 pythons in the Everglades National Park, according to the Washington Post. According to Maloney, the leading theory is that the Burmese python first came to the Everglades in 1992, after Hurricane Andrew blew through the state - and a pet breeding center. The exhibit was celebrating the zoo's new 48 ft long, life-sized replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa snake - the heaviest and longest snake ever discovered . 'Its believed either people couldn't take care of them anymore, released them, or the hurricane destroyed the facilities and liberated the animals,' Maloney said. The Burmese python has become what is known as an invasive species,  wreaking havoc on the environment's native species as they continue to spread. Native to Southeast Asia, the python has quickly spread throughout the Everglades as females can lay up to 100 eggs. The non-venomous snakes, who kill and eat their prey by constriction, have decimated the park's mammal population, consuming more than 99 percent of raccoons and 88 percent of bobcats, according to the Washington Post. Although pythons can reach more than 17 feet in length and weigh up to 400 pounds, they are not a major threat to humans. Instead they'd rather feast on small mammals and birds, but are known to eat deers and alligators as well. An eastern diamondback rattlesnake featured in the Titanoboa exhibit, the largest rattlesnake. Unlike the Burmese python, which kills its prey by constriction, this rattlesnake is venomous . More than 2,000 pythons have been removed from the Everglades since 2002, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Pythons captured in the park are typically euthanized. Maloney said the zoo, which carries a rock python that was caught in the Everglades, tries to provide homes for wild snakes if they can - but there often isn't the space to house such large animals. And the snakes aren't easy to find. The National Park Service said trapping methods are often ineffective, meaning the reptiles must be detected and removed by search and hand. The state even hosted the 'Florida Python Challenge', offering a reward to the team who captured and killed the most pythons in the month-long event. Only 50 were captured. But for now, Maloney said the zoo wants to celebrate snakes and their history. 'We think of snakes as being positive members of the animal kingdom,' he said. 'We’re celebrating snakes by showcasing not only the big snakes living on the planet today but the biggest snake that ever existed.' A worker at the Florida zoo adds the eastern diamondback rattlesnake to the exhibit .
The currently unnamed female python will be at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens until September . Featured in zoo's newest exhibit featuring some of nation's largest living snakes . Exhibit is celebrating the zoo's new 48ft life-sized replica of the prehistoric Titanoboa snake - the heaviest and longest snake ever discovered . An eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the largest venomous snake, has also moved into the zoo .