The Daily Bucket is a regular series from the Backyard Science group. Here we talk about Mother Nature in all her glory, especially the parts that live nearby. So let us know (as close as you are comfortable) where you are and what's going on around you. What's the weather like? Seen any interesting plants, bugs or critters? Are there birds at your feeders? Deer, foxes or snakies in your yard? Seen any cool rocks or geological features? Post your observations and notes here. And photos. We like photos. :)
By far, the most famous and best-known of all Florida’s invasives is the Burmese Python.
Burmese Python
The Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) is a large constrictor snake found in the rainforests of southeast Asia, usually near water. Some authorities consider it a geographical subspecies of the very similar Indian Python (Python molurus). At measured lengths near 20 feet, it is the third-largest snake in the world—only the Reticulated Python and the Green Anaconda are bigger. A typical Burmese Python adult will measure around 14-15 feet and weigh around 90 pounds (the females are larger than the males).
Despite their huge size, Burmese Pythons were readily available in the pet trade throughout the 1990’s and 2000’s—every pet shop that specialized in reptiles was likely to have a number of hatchling Burmese Pythons for sale. Their bright color patterns and their generally calm dispositions made them popular pets, and they were captive-bred in a variety of different color patterns and strains, including albino.
Although Burmese Pythons are generally docile and tame very readily when young, they still present dangers and difficulties to their keepers. Once the snake reaches a length of 7-8 feet, it can be quite difficult for a single person to handle. Not coincidentally, it is often right around that time that the often-inexperienced python-keeper begins to realize that perhaps keeping this species as a pet wasn’t such a great idea after all. Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, I did reptile rescue work in Florida, taking in unwanted pets, rehabilitating them, and adopting them out to new homes. I had several dozen adult snakes pass through my hands over the years. Alas, though, there were far more unwanted pythons than there were rescuers to take them or new homes to put them in. As a result, many keepers, once they got tired of their pet, simply dumped them in a field somewhere. And there began Florida’s most well-known invasive-species problem . . .
It takes several people to control a big Burm
The earliest-recorded wild python in Florida was found in the Everglades in 1979. At that time, Burmese Pythons were imported mostly for zoos, and it is likely that this one was an escapee from a shipment entering the US at Miami. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, however, the exotic pet trade in the US expanded enormously, and numerous species of reptiles were imported in tremendous numbers, including Burmese Pythons. Released pets and escapees began showing up around virtually every Florida urban area from Tallahassee to Key West. In areas north of Naples, the pythons were unable to survive the winter and were not able to breed in the wild. But in southern Florida, particularly in the Everglades, the conditions suited the snakes perfectly. The final blow came in 1992, when Hurricane Andrew destroyed a commercial python-breeding facility in the area, releasing dozens of captive Burmese Pythons.
Everglades
By 2001, the species had established a self-sustaining breeding population in the Everglades. In desperation, the state outlawed the importation or sale of pythons and instituted a “permit” system for those already in captivity (including requirements for all snakes to be radio-chipped for identification and for keepers to submit to regular housing inspections). The Federal government banned interstate sale of Burmese Pythons. But it was already too late. By 2005, an estimated 5,000 pythons were living in the Everglades; by 2015 estimates ranged as high as 150,000 individuals. The pythons are nocturnal hunters, and will eat virtually any mammal or bird they can catch—and will also prey on the occasional Alligator.
As a result, since 2005 the state has been waging an all-out war on the pythons. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has a “kill on sight” policy for wild Burms, and sponsors regular “contests” for snake hunters with prizes awarded for the most snakes killed. However, the snakes are well-camouflaged, spend much of their time in the water, and are very hard to find. Fewer than a thousand pythons are killed each year—a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands that are probably living and breeding in the wild. It is almost certain that the species is now firmly established and is simply impossible to eradicate.
And now it is your turn: what invasive species are taking over your neck of the woods?
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