What would be a bad dream for many was a huge victory for Florida wildlife experts who discovered a 7-foot-wide, 500-lb. a bunch of invasive Burmese pythons.
The snakes, which are not native to the region and have significantly disrupted Florida’s ecosystem for more than four decades, were discovered Feb. 21 in a marsh near Naples, according to Miami Herald.
Wildlife experts discovered two balls of Burmese pythons mating on the same day, one of which was the aforementioned 7-foot-wide pile. The Miami Herald dreported that the giant mound of reptiles was a record size for the Southwest Florida Conservancy.
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Eleven pythons were taken out of the pile of snakes. One snake that experts found in this discovery reportedly exceeded 16 feet in length.
According to the Miami Herald, the pythons were located using new implants that researchers inserted into male “scout snakes.” Once the snakes were released, those tracking them were able to track the signal the reptiles were emitting to distant areas.
Conservancy biologist Ian Bartoszek said via the Conservancy of Southwest Florida Facebook page, “For 10 years we’ve been catching them and putting [Burmese pythons] below human. You can’t put them in zoos and send them back to Southeast Asia. Invasive species management doesn’t end with rainbows and kittens. These are extraordinary creatures, here through no fault of their own. They are impressive animals, good at what they do.”
“It’s probably most people’s worst nightmare,” Bartoszek added in a phone call to McClatchy News via the Miami Herald, noting, “For us, this is a good day. It’s a win for native wildlife.”
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The Florida Museum states that Burmese pythons, originally native to South and Southeast Asia, were introduced to Florida in the 1980s.
According to The Nature Conservancy, Florida’s first Burmese python, found in the Everglades in 1979, was likely a former pet that escaped or was released into the wild.
“Today, after years of breeding, tens of thousands of snakes inhabit the land around Everglades National Park, feeding on rare and endangered species,” the nonprofit said.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), “Pythons compete with native wildlife for food, which includes mammals, birds, and other reptiles.” The agency also explained that declines in the populations of various mammals, particularly in Everglades National Park, have been linked to Burmese pythons.
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Specifically, the USGS explains that “raccoon populations have declined by 99.3 percent, opossum by 98.9 percent, and lynx by 87.5 percent since 1997.”
Populations of swamp hares, jackrabbits and foxes in Florida have all but disappeared during that time, according to the USGS.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission states on its website, “Non-native reptiles such as Burmese pythons may be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission—no permit is required—and the FWC encourages people to capture and humanely kill pythons from private lands whenever possible.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education