Since the end of the 20th century, Burmese Pythons have become established in Flordia having first been sighted in the Everglades National Park in the 1990s (it was recognized as a reproducing population in 2000). Since then sightings of the python have exploded exponentially and people have been hired to remove them.
At least the Burmese Python is a constrictor and is mostly docile. If visiting Australia, the country is infamous for having 9 of the 10 most venomous snakes in the world. If one would like to spot alligators while in the Everglades National Park, then walking the Anhinga Trail virtually guarantees sightings.
About the Burmese Python
Despite the invasiveness of the species to Florida and the authorities' tempts to kill and reduce their population, they are actually classified as vulnerable with a trending population trending downward in their home environment. They are suffering from habitat depletion and being hunted as pets as well as their skins.
- Scientific Name: Python bivitattus
- Average Life Span: 20-25 Years In The Wild
- Length: 16-23 Feet
- Weight: Up to 200 Pounds
Burmese pythons grow rapidly and are generally docile. They are often considered the best choice of large snake for reptile owners. But they are still snakes and do not understand and perceive the world as humans do, attacks on handlers (sometimes deadly) are not uncommon. Frequently their owners give up on them and they are released back into the wild.
Burmese pythons are native to the jungles and grassy marshes of Southeast Asia and are excellent swimmers being able to stay submerged for up to 30 minutes before needing to breathe. They are some of the largest snakes alive today on Earth. As youngsters, they spend much of their time in the trees but live on the ground as they grow larger.
Burmese pythons are carnivorous and live on a diet of mostly small mammals and birds.
- Sensing: They Have Poor Eyesight And Use Heat Sensors Along Their Jaws To Stalk
- Constriction: They Kill By Constriction and Are Not Venomous
Colonization of Florida And Their Impact On the Environment
Their impact on the environment has been dramatic as they are competing with native wildlife for food. USGS reports:
"The most severe declines in native species have occurred in the remote southernmost regions of Everglades National Park, where pythons have been established the longest. In a 2012 study, populations of raccoons had dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent, and bobcats 87.5 percent since 1997. Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits, and foxes effectively disappeared."
They prey on a wide variety of mammals, birds, and crocodilian species and there have been pronounced declines of some of the species that they are feeding on in South Florida. These declining mammals have regularly been found in the stomachs of the Burmese Pythons.
- Pets: They Became Established After Escaping or Being Intentionally Released After being Pets
- Invasive: It Is Considered An Invasive Species
It has been difficult to estimate the population of Burmese pythons as they are difficult to see. But it is likely there are no fewer than 30,000 pythons and could well be more than 300,000 in South Florida - a population expected to continue to grow.
At the moment there is no evidence yet of a breeding population anywhere on the Keys, but they have been found on Key Largo and some of the other Lower Keys.
- Population: Tens or Hundreds of Thousands
Are Burmese Pythons Dangerous?
The Burmese Pythons do not seem to be particularly dangerous to people, so one needn't worry too much when visiting the Everglades. Human fatalities from non-venomous snakes are very rare anywhere in the world (regardless of how much one was terrified as a kid by the 1997 horror movie Anaconda).
Worldwide it is thought that such snakes kill on average one or two people annually. The only known constrictor snake fatalities in the USA have been from captive snakes according to USGS. There are no human deaths from these wild Burmese pythons in Florida.
- Fatalities: There Have Been No Fatalities From Wild Burmese Pythons In The United States
What Can Be Done and Reporting Sightings
There is little chance of eradicating the Burmese Pythons from Flordia now that it has become firmly established. That is why is it so important to prevent the spread in the first place and to detect early and respond rapidly when they do spread. This is too late for the Burmese Python, they are here to stay.
If one sees a python in the wild, one is advised to take the same precautions as one would an alligator. Namely, avoid interacting or getting close to them.
- Reporting: One Can Report Sightings If One Sees On In The Everglades
In the Everglades National Park, one can also report it to the park ranger or via the “Ive Got 1” reporting hotline (888-483-4681), the EDDMapS reporting site, or by using an iPhone application, IveGot1 - Identify and Report Invasive Animals and Plants in Florida.