MIAMI, Florida – It’s a danger to our ecosystem that Floridians know all too well.
The Burmese python is best known in South Florida for destroying the Everglades, but what makes it such a threat?
Because these pythons are one of the most notorious invasive species in the state, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) has implemented several efforts to remove large non-venomous constrictors from our ecosystem, primarily by humane killing.
But why do Burmese pythons need to be removed from the state, and what makes them such a danger to our environment?
Here’s everything you need to know about the slippery invaders:
How can you tell a Burmese python apart from other snakes?
An easy way to tell Burmese pythons from other snakes is by their size alone, according to McKayla Spencer, coordinator of FWC’s non-native fish and wildlife program.
Adult pythons caught in Florida average between six and nine feet in length, but Spencer says it’s not uncommon to find pythons much longer than that.
“The largest native snakes in the United States are less than 10 feet,” Spencer said. “And we regularly pull pythons out of the Everglades that are over 10 feet long.”
As recently as July, a Florida hunter caught the longest burmese python that the state has ever seen.
At 19 feet and 125 pounds, the female snake is said to be the longest of its species ever recorded, according to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
Another way to identify a Burmese python is by its unique markings.
Burmese pythons are tan in color with dark spots along their backs and sides. The FWC describes the spots like puzzle pieces or giraffe markings.
These pythons also have a pyramid or diamond shaped head with a blunt nose.
The top of the head is marked by a dark arrowhead-shaped wedge that extends towards the nose with a tan line down the middle.
Where are Burmese pythons found?
In southern Florida, Burmese pythons are found primarily in and around the Everglades ecosystem, where the snake poses a major threat to native wildlife.
Natively, however, these pythons are found in India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula, and some islands in the East Indies.
Because Burmese pythons are semi-aquatic, they are also often found near or in water.
“They’re moving through that landscape with ease,” Spencer said. “Whereas humans, we’re terrestrial, so it’s much more difficult for us to go out into these places where a lot of these pythons breed.”
What do Burmese pythons eat?
Burmese pythons are what scientists call “generalist predators,” meaning they feed on a wide variety of species.
“That means they’re not picky,” says Spencer. “They are eating our native mammals, birds, and reptiles, which is obviously having major negative impacts on our Everglades ecosystem.”
By preying on native species, invasive Burmese pythons are creating a “trophic cascade” in the Everglades.
A trophic cascade it’s an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition (or removal) of a top predator, in this case, the Burmese python.
Refers to changes in predator and prey populations along the food chain, often resulting in dramatic changes to the ecosystem.
While pythons sometimes eat non-native species such as Norway rats, they also consume common native species, as well as threatened or endangered native species.
For example, pythons are known to feast on the forest stork included in the list of threatened species of the federal government and Wood Rats Key Largoalso included in the list.
It is even known that eat alligatorswhich are also federally protected by the Endangered Species Act.
“We imagine, based on other systems where we’ve seen something similar, that when you reach a level of a trophic cascade as strong as Burmese pythons have, especially as far as mammals are concerned, other effects are likely to occur in waterfall,” Spencer said. .
Research is currently underway to determine the impacts pythons have on native mammal species, according to the FWC.
Burmese pythons can also pose a threat to human safety and may prey on pets such as cats and dogs.
Do Burmese pythons have natural predators in the wild?
Due to their large size, adult Burmese pythons have few predators, with humans being an exception.
Spencer says that Burmese pythons have a higher mortality rate when they are young and small. They hatch from the egg about two feet long.
Because this is still within the size class of many native snake species, Spencer says there are some animals that prey on them when they’re so young.
However, there’s no evidence of a predator regularly preying on an adult Burmese python, which Spencer says is “not a huge surprise” considering how big they are.
“There’s just nothing like it in the United States,” he said.
Still, earlier this year, a video posted on social media showed an alligator biting into a huge piton in the Everglades.
How did Burmese pythons get to Florida?
Pythons came to Florida through the captive animal trade and were introduced through the accidental and/or intentional release of these captive animals.
“1979 is when we had our first real python data point,” Spencer said. “And the 1990s was when we really started to see a pick-up. That’s when I think people started to realize there was a problem.”
At this point, most experts consider pythons to have established themselves in Florida from the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee to the northern part of the Keys.
“Some of that is because these animals are very difficult to detect,” Spencer said. “By the time we detect them, there is a high probability that there are more than the one individual that we are detecting.”
Why are Burmese pythons hard to spot?
Like many of Florida’s native snake species, Burmese pythons are semi-aquatic.
However, the fact that Burmese pythons are semi-aquatic is a problem because it makes them more difficult for humans to kill.
Since South Florida is a primarily semi-aquatic ecosystem, pythons can move through the landscape much more easily than humans, because humans are terrestrial.
That limits our ability to reach places where many pythons breed.
Also, one of its main defenses is camouflage. When these snakes try to hide, they become very difficult to spot.
“You’ll be standing next to what you know is a 14, 15 foot python and you can’t see it,” Spencer said.
What are the laws governing Burmese python removal?
There is an ethical and legal obligation to ensure that non-native reptiles, such as Burmese pythons, are exterminated in a humane manner.
Non-native reptiles are not protected in Florida except by the law against crueltywhich applies to all animals living in the state.
“They’re terrible for the environment,” Spencer said. “We have to eliminate them. But there are safe ways to capture them and there are humane ways to kill them.”
How do you get rid of Burmese pythons?
“At this point, we’re removing between 2,000 and 4,000 pythons a year,” Spencer said. “There aren’t many options for what to do when so many animals are removed.”
Because Burmese pythons are wild snakes, they behave just like wild animals would. This makes them difficult and dangerous to remove.
“When you go to capture a wild animal, they’re going to fight back,” Spencer said. “They’re going to hit, they’re going to try to get away from you, they’re going to constrict, they’re going to go musky.”
The FWC works with partners to manage Burmese pythons in a variety of ways. Once these pythons are found, the primary method of removal is humane culling.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends a two step process to prevent suffering and destroy the brain completely for the humane slaughter of the reptiles.
The first step should result in the animal losing consciousness immediately.
The second step, which immediately follows the first, is to destroy the animal’s brain by doing something called “pixing,” which prevents the animal from regaining consciousness.
“It’s a very serious issue, and it’s something that we want people to take seriously so they understand the seriousness of that: you need to do this right and this is why,” Spencer said.
