ESTERO, Fla. — Two "giant" rattlesnakes were recovered by a husband-wife duo on Jan. 16 outside a South Florida deputy's home, according to Newsweek.
Rhett and Taylor Stanberry shared a video on YouTube of their experience removing and relocating a female and male rattlesnake mating pair.
"It's a male and female found together during the breeding season and the homeowner sent us a photo of them courting each other which means they were breeding," they told Newsweek.
In their video, it appears that both snakes are in front of the deputy's home and their brushes. Viewers can hear Rhett saying the female snake "probably has a rabbit in her stomach."
Stanberrys estimated that the two eastern diamondback rattlesnakes — male and female — measured around 4 feet and 5.5 feet in length respectively, according to Newsweek.
"It's been a crazy rattlesnake season, with more and more huge rattlesnakes showing up," the couple wrote in the description of their video.
"As development runs across South Florida, more species like big rattlesnakes are being displaced and turning up areas they, unfortunately, shouldn't be. We get called from all around South Florida to catch and relocate venomous snakes from situations where they may pose a threat to people or pets, and it is often unsafe for the snakes themselves to live around human habitation."
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife, Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes face a variety of threats including habitat loss, habitat degradation, diseases, being hit by vehicles and overexploitation.
The snakes are found all throughout Florida. The average adult ranges between three to six feet in length with a maximum of reaching eight feet.
The couple gets calls from all around South Florida to catch and relocated venous snakes, according to their YouTube page.
"Rattlesnakes, while they can be scary if you're unfamiliar with them, are not aggressive, they do not seek out humans, they are shy and reclusive and often live in areas near people for a long time without anyone ever knowing," the couple wrote.
In their YouTube video, Taylor said they arrived at the deputy's house just in time as the lawn crew was coming with their weed hackers.
"They are also an important part of our ecosystems down here in South Florida so it is important to keep what ecosystems we have left, intact and functioning, especially the Everglades," the couple wrote.
