Burmese pythons are one of the state’s most feared invasive species. Burmese pythons have lived in the Everglades for more than 25 years, but a new study shows they are moving north. “Pythons are large-bodied snakes. They’re constrictors, which means they wrap themselves around food to eat,” said Nicole Payne of the Brevard Zoo. It may not be the way you eat your food, but that’s what makes Burmese pythons unique, and experts say these giant snakes are on the rise in Brevard County. Payne says this trend is worrying. “They may feel threatened if you get too close to them. They can bite anything with a mouth,” she says. However, these reclusive reptiles are not native to Florida and don’t like to interact with humans much. The real threat is to disrupt the ecosystem. “They have no natural enemies, so they’re feeding on a lot of existing animals, and it’s all out of the loop,” Payne said. “When you do one thing and take resources away from all the others, the native predators have nothing left to eat. And that creates a disharmonious system that was supposed to be in perfect harmony. Everything is actually supposed to be built in balance, and once you disrupt that balance, resources can start to disappear and populations of other things can increase,” she said. The researchers believed that Florida’s hard freezes and cold seasons suppressed the species’ growth. But a new study shows that pythons coil and breed in the burrows of endangered gopher tortoises and exotic armadillos on cold days, and ecologists are trying to alleviate the problem. “They go about it in so many different ways as far as finding out where they are. They sponsor python hunts and things like that to collect pythons. They’re highly regulated because of where they come from,” Payne said. It’s illegal to keep pythons as pets in Florida, but experts believe Brevard’s growing number of sightings are pets that have grown too big and are abandoned. Sightings of Burmese pythons are increasing, but experts advise people not to touch them. Leave that to the professionals and call the FWC. FWC recommends an app called IveGot1 to help report invasive species in Florida.
Burmese pythons are one of the most feared invasive species in the state.
They have maintained a presence in the Everglades for more than 25 years, but new research reveals they are moving north.
“Pythons are large-bodied snakes. They’re constrictors, which means they wrap themselves around food to eat,” said Nicole Payne of the Brevard Zoo.
It may not be how you eat food, but that’s what these Burmese pythons are known for, and experts say these giant snakes are on the rise in Brevard County.
Payne says this trend is worrying.
“They may feel threatened if you get too close to them. They can bite anything with a mouth,” she says.
However, this reclusive reptile is not native to Florida and doesn’t like to interact with people much.
The real threat is disrupting the ecosystem.
“They have no natural enemies, so they eat a lot of existing animals, and it’s all out of the window,” Payne said. “When you remove one resource from another, the native predators have nothing left to eat.”
And it turns what should be a perfectly harmonious system into disharmony.
“Everything should be built in balance, and when that balance is disrupted, you can start to lose resources and populations of other things can increase,” she said.
Researchers believed that Florida’s deep freezes and cold seasons suppressed the species’ growth. But new research has found that on cold days, pythons coil in the burrows of endangered gopher tortoises and exotic armadillos, where they breed.
This is a problem that ecologists are trying to alleviate.
“They go about it in so many different ways as far as finding out where they are. They sponsor python hunts and things like that to collect pythons. They’re highly regulated because of where they come from,” Payne said.
It’s illegal to keep pythons as pets in Florida, but experts believe Brevard’s growing number of sightings are pets that have grown too big and are abandoned.
Sightings of Burmese pythons are on the rise, but experts warn people should never touch them. Leave that to the professionals and call the FWC.
FWC recommends the following apps Ive Got 1 to Help us report invasive species in Florida.
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