Girl, 8, Attacked by Pet Python

Aug. 23 -- An 8-year-old Pennsylvania girl is in critical condition after being attacked by her pet snake Wednesday morning.

Police say Amber Mountain's 10-foot Burmese python managed to get out of its cage — and the little girl apparently tried to play with it.

However, the snake began to wrap itself around the child, constricting her neck. Pythons kill by coiling themselves around their prey and squeezing until the victim asphyxiates.

"What happens is, the snake itself will grab on to you, throw a coil around you... then you panic because you don't know what's going to happen," said Herb Ellerbrock of the Pittsburgh Zoo. "And the more you panic the tighter the snake will take and put a coil around you."

Ellerbrook said the snakes tighten their coil each time its prey takes a breath, slowly suffocating the victim.

The girl's mother, Marcy, found her on the kitchen floor, with the snake wrapped around her neck. She managed to get the snake off her daughter and call for help.

The family owns four pythons and a boa constrictor. ABCNEWS Radio contributed to this report.