![]() “This makes it that much more difficult to recover these dwindling populations and restore the Everglades,” said park biologist Skip Snow, “and all the more important that pet owners be responsible in their choice of pet and dispose of it properly should they need to. USGS scientists and their partners are seeking to compile the scientific data necessary toguide management efforts to prevent further introductions, control existing populations of snakes, and contain their spread.īurmese pythons have been found to eat endangered Key Largo woodrats and rare round-tailed muskrats. ![]() Therefore, prevention through screening and risk assessment is of great importance, especially when protecting continental areas from invasive reptiles, said USGS invasive snake expert Gordon Rodda, also of the Fort Collins center. Pythons could have even more significant environmental and economic consequences if they were to spread from Florida to other states.”Ĭontrol of exotic species is often prohibitively expensive once they have become established. “Several endangered species,” he noted, “have already been found in the snakes’ stomachs. “Wildlife managers are concerned that these snakes, which can grow to over 20 feet long and more than 250 pounds, pose a danger to state- and federally listed threatened and endangered species as well as to humans,” said Bob Reed, a USGS wildlife biologist at the Fort Collins Science Center in Colorado, who helped develop the maps. Python populations have since been discovered in Big Cypress National Preserve to the north, Miami’s water management areas to the northeast, Key Largo to the southeast, and many state parks, municipalities, and public and private lands in the region. ![]() A second map projects these “climate matches” at the end of this century based on global warming models, which significantly expands the potential habitat for these snakes.īiologists with Everglades National Park confirmed a breeding population of Burmese python in the Florida Everglades in 2003, presumably the result of released pets. with current climatic conditions similar to those of the snakes’ native ranges. The maps show where climate alone would not limit these snakes. is similar to places in which Burmese pythons live naturally (from Pakistan to Indonesia).Ī look at the maps shows why biologists are concerned. These “climate match” maps show where climate in the U.S. The just-released USGS maps can help natural resource agencies manage and possibly control the spread of non-native giant constrictor snakes, such as the Burmese python, now spreading from Everglades National Park in Florida. Although other factors such as type of food available and suitable shelter also play a role, Burmese pythons and other giant constrictor snakes have shown themselves to be highly adaptable to new environments. The canebrake rattlesnake and Southern copperhead are only known to inhabitant small pockets of Northern Florida.Burmese pythons - an invasive species in south Florida - could find comfortable climatic conditions in roughly a third of the United States according to new "climate maps" developed by the U.S. We will continue to communicate our concerns to our elected representatives.” Florida’s Venomous Snakesįlorida’s six native venomous snakes include the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus adamanteus), canebrake (timber) rattlesnake ( Crotalus horridus), Dusky pygmy rattlesnake ( Sistrurus miliarius barbouri), Florida cottonmouth, or water moccasin ( Agkistrodon conanti), Southern copperhead ( Agkistrodon contortrix), and Eastern coral snake ( Micrurus fulvius). We are concerned about how broad interpretation by law enforcement could cause hardship for people in our industry, as it has on other issues. The language of the bill needs to be very clear. “We are still looking for clear definitions on terms like ‘gross negligence’ and how they apply to reptile keepers. “This amendment is a good thing for native venomous snakes,” USARK FL President Elizabeth Wisneski said in a statement released to the media. Eastern diamondback rattlesnake captured, tagged, and released as part of a University of Central Florida research project (Photo by Daniel Parker) ![]()
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