A
17.5 foot Burmese python was discovered last week in the Everglades in
Florida and is believed to be the largest ever in the state. The snake
was examined by scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History and
found to weigh 164.5-pounds, after it was brought there from the
Everglades National Park. It was also pregnant with a record 87 eggs.
Burmese
pythons are native to south-east Asia, and were originally kept as pets
before being released into the wild. “They were here 25 years ago, but
in very low numbers and it was difficult to find one because of their
cryptic behavior,” Kenneth Krysko, manager of the museum’s herpetology
collection said. “Now, you can go out to the Everglades nearly any day
of the week and find a Burmese python. We’ve found 14 in a single day.”
The
reptiles are said to be responsible for the dwindling population of
mammals in the Everglades, leading to increased concerns about safety of
other animals. “Pythons are wreaking havoc on one of America’s most
beautiful, treasured, and naturally bountiful ecosystems,” said U.S.
Geological Survey Director Marci McNutt in a statement in January this
year. Research revealed that the raccoon population declined 99.3%, the
opossum population 98.9%, and the bobcat population 87.5%, due to the
pythons. This latest discovery is even more worrying for researchers
because of the number of eggs discovered in the creature. “I think one
of the important facts about this animal is its reproductive
capability,” said park wildlife biologist Skip Snow. “There are not many
records of how many eggs a large female snake carries in the wild. This
shows they’re a really reproductive animal, which aids in their
invasiveness.”
Krysko
also expressed his concerns, saying, “This thing is monstrous. It’s
about a foot wide. It means there’s nothing stopping them and the native
wildlife are in trouble.”
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