Python hunters recently broke a record catching the longest live captured Reticulated Python in Puerto Rico — measuring over 18 feet long.

Kevin Pavlidis, known as “Snakeaholic” on social media, worked with the python hunter group Proyectos Retic to capture the beast, which someone originally spotted strangling a cat behind a house.

“NEW RECORD! @proyectoreticpr and I captured the longest live captured Reticulated Python ever caught in Puerto Rico! This incredible giant measured 18’4″ making it the New Official Record for Puerto Rico!” Pavlidis announced, sharing a picture of the slithering beast.

“Reticulated Pythons are an invasive species in Puerto Rico the same way that Burmese Pythons are an invasive species in Florida. I have been working extremely hard in Puerto Rico learning to understand how this species behaves, and they are shockingly different from Burmese. This python was spotted strangling a pet cat behind a house and was scared off down the mountain,” he said, explaining that it took all of his tracking skills and 20 minutes to finally track the snake down in the jungle.

“Removing this invasive apex predator is one more step towards restoring the delicate balance of the ecosystem out here in Puerto Rico, and I am proud to be a part of this incredible conservation work!” he added.

The photo shows eight people holding the snake, showcasing just how massive the python is. Pavlidis also shared a video of the live measurement of the snake.

“A giant species of snake from halfway around the world taking over a delicate ecosystem,” he said in another Instagram post of the snake. “Native wildlife doesn’t stand a chance against a predator like this.”

“As incredible as these snakes are, they are an unbelievably large threat to the delicate ecosystem of Puerto Rico. It’s not the snake’s fault, this is yet another human error of introducing a non-native animal and @proyectoreticpr and I are doing our best to fix the problem other people created,” he added.

According to reports, there is no word on the status of the cat the python was originally strangling when it was discovered.