South Florida has a huge python problem.
Following the monthlong Burmese Python removal competition
designed to remove as many of the snakes from the Everglades as
possible, there still remains an inordinate amount of pythons.
Researchers who have been tracking Burmese pythons captured more than
one ton over the last three months in southwest Florida.
Among
the 43 pythons removed researchers found the largest male python ever
documented in south Florida, measuring 16 feet and weighing more than
140 pounds.
"Burmese pythons are
cracking the code on the Southwest Florida habitat, learning how to
survive and breed locally," the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in
a press release.
Over the last three years, researchers at the government agency have enlisted the help of captured pythons.
By
tagging "snitch snakes" with radio trackers, researchers hope to study
where the pythons are living in order to catch other snakes. Fifteen
adult pythons are currently being surveyed by radio tags so scientists
can learn more about the ecological implications of the invasive
species.
For example, a captured male
python named Captain Kirkland has been credited for the removal of the
43 snakes, by leading researchers to more pythons and allowing them to
gain a better understanding of the animal's movement patterns.
Due
to the massive amount of pythons, the creature has become one of the
top predators in the Everglades, morphing the area's ecological
landscape.
"The ecological impact of
removing so many adult pythons from a relatively small area of Collier
County can only be positive for our native wildlife," said Ian
Bartoszek, biologist for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida in a press
release.
"We need to utilize all
tools available and develop additional techniques to capture and remove
Burmese pythons in Florida," he said.
Once
allowed as an exotic pet, officials trace the Burmese python's entry
into the ecosystem to 1992, when "Burmese pythons escaped from a
breeding facility that was destroyed during Hurricane Andrew," according
to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's website. "It
is also likely that pet pythons have been released in and around the
Everglades," it says.
The effect has
been profound; the invasive species is responsible for causing the near
"complete disappearance of raccoons, rabbits and opossums," according to
the USGS, and goes almost completely unchecked in its environment.
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