UES 150 Fall 2020

I chose to research The Burmese python for my invasive species. They are non venomous and are constrictors so they squeeze their prey to death instead of injecting them with venom. The Burmese Python can get up to 23 feet in length and become as dense as a telephone pole, weighing up to 200 pounds. Making them the second largest snake behind the Green Anaconda. They’re native to South and Southeast Asia but can be found in the Florida everglades due to the rise of interest in the exotic pets. Their natural habitats are swampy jungles so the everglades are a perfect match for the Burmese Python. According to fox news there are an estimated 100,000 pythons in the everglades. This could be attributed to the large boom of popularity the python had in the 1980’s.They have been imported as pets but have been released into the wild due to how large and unmanageable they become. Some experts believe that a large number of snakes were released into the wild after hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane, destroyed a python breeding facility releasing thousands of snakes into the swamp. Releasing them into the wild has effected the ecosystems heavily because they have no natural predator, making them the apex predator in the everglades. This has caused a large decline in the mammal, birds, and even reptiles population. The Flordia wildlife confederation encourages people to remove and hunt pythons on private property when ever spotted. They need help from the public in eradicating the invasive species because they are very hard to spot due to their camouflaged skin.