Monday, February 27 on CBS4 News at 11 PM — If you’re a resident of South Florida, you know about the invasion of pythons in the Everglades. Now  however, experts say the pythons can actually leave the swamps and survive in saltwater. As a result, they’ve been tracked to the Florida Keys.

Officials are saying the pythons (which can grow to 20 feet long and eat large animals whole) are being ditched by pet owners in the Florida Everglades, threatening the region’s endangered species and its ecosystem.

Where the snakes are breeding is just north of the Keys in Everglades National Park. An estimated 30,000 Burmese pythons live there.

Jorge Estevez reports on Monday, Feb. 27th on CBS4 News at 11 p.m.