The severity of this proliferation is better understood after learning about certain aspects of this snake’s biology.įor starters, the Burmese python routinely lives 25 years or more. The bottom line is that from early 2000 to the present, the population of breeding pythons in the Everglades spiraled to well over 30,000.
The above numbers are based on sightings and killings of pythons. It’s difficult to know exact population numbers over the last decade as these animals are difficult to spot.
2009: 5,000 – 180,000 estimated by South Florida Water Management District. 2006-2007: 418 pythons seen or killed in the Everglades. 2001-2005: 201 pythons observed or killed in the Everglades. 2000: A breeding population was confirmed in the Everglades. Here’s a brief timeline of how the population began to spiral out of control: In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, other less severe storms likely enabled snakes in loosely secured cages to escape during stormy weather. After not wanting to deal with these challenges, many released them into the wild.Īs for the latter, in 1992, Florida’s Hurricane Andrew was responsible for destroying a python breeding facility. Pet owners likely grew uncomfortable with the health risk and financial burden of securing and feeding a 12-foot snake in their home. It’s believed the pythons began breeding in the wild as a result of two primary causes: irresponsible pet owners releasing them and the animals escaping their loosely-kept cages as a result of hurricane or stormy weather.Īs for the former, these snakes grow to an average of 12 feet. Back home, they are hunted for their skins and captured alive for sale abroad as pets.īetween 19, roughly 99,000 pythons were imported into the United States as pets. While the pythons are spreading like rabbits throughout south Florida, they are endangered in their native habitat of Southeast Asia. It’s worth noting a further element of tragic irony in this story. The animals of the Everglades have no natural instinctive defense from these large snakes. Prey develop natural instinctive defenses from these predators. Populations of predator and prey evolve together over time and live in balance. And neither do large carnivorous snakes like anacondas in the Amazon. But this argument makes little sense as it runs counter to how ecosystems function.īurmese pythons in their native habitat in Southeast Asia do not cause a 90+% decline in the population of their prey. They argue there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this scenario as it simply represents natural selection playing course. Some counter that survival-of-the-fittest dictates the pythons should spread, as they are simply more powerful predators than their prey. “Survival of the Fittest” Argument Rebuffed In addition to the above report, the National Academy of Sciences published a separate report suggesting bird and coyote populations are also threatened due to the invasive species. Of course, this argument assumes the python doesn’t eventually turn on the turtle as food sources dwindle. With severe declines in raccoon population, turtles have the potential to grow at a higher rate. Raccoons routinely prey upon turtle eggs. The study does report that certain animals, like turtles, may thrive as a result of this ecological distortion. Before the Burmese Python in early 2000, the last large snake to live in this region was 16 million years ago, when a boa-like snake became extinct. The above-listed mammals simply have no instinctive defense or fear from a large carnivorous snake. Over 25% of the pythons found in the Everglades contain bird remains. Even large numbers of birds are being consumed. They will often eat any animal they can find. It’s quite possible, as these snakes eat leopards in their native habitat of Southeast Asia.Īs per above, the pythons aren’t picky eaters. It’s unclear whether or not the python is consuming the Florida panther. Furthermore, the impact of the invasive species on rare animals is unknown. 
Not a single rabbit or fox sighting was found. The 2003 to 2011 surveys compare mammal sightings to data from surveys conducted in 19 – before the python was breeding in the wild.Īs the population of pythons has spiraled upwards in the last decade, mammal observations have declined by the following percentages: A study conducted by Michael Dorcas, a herpetologist at Davidson College in North Carolina in 2011 documented “severe declines” in mammal sightings. The problem? The pythons are completely decimating populations of native wildlife. They are native to Southeast Asia and south China. As you may have suspected, Burmese Pythons are not native to Florida. By Michael Sarill (ELP 2016) | Director, Project Noah, USAĪs of February 2013, scientists estimate anywhere between 30,000 and 150,000 Burmese Pythons exist in South Florida.
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