IMAGES: The first or top continental United States map illustrates climate that matches that of the Burmese pythons’ native range in Asia today. The lower map illustrates the situation when global warming data is considered. The map shows how the warmer climate range may shift northwards in the year 2100. USGS images. Click on either image to enlarge.

New data suggests that the Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) has the ability to spread out of south Florida to other areas of the United States. The population continues to grow but various methods are being taken and explored to reduce the constrictor’s ability to spread. Burmese Pythons have been confirmed breeding in the wild. Furthermore, work by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida reveals what the snakes have been eating. Stomach contents analysis have revealed everything from Old world rats (Rattus sp.) to animals as large as white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Smaller animals such as the noble House wren (Troglodytes aedon) have been found in stomach analysis too. Smaller animals are probably taken by juvenile pythons. The domestic goose (Anser sp.) have been consumed leading to the logical presumption that conflicts with humans will increase as the gigantic snakes spread across the Southeastern portions of the United States. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida highlights the rapidly growing problem:

Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are popular pets in the United States because of their attractive color pattern, reputed docility, and the allure (for some) of owning a giant snake. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, approximately 99,000 Burmese pythons were imported to the United States between 1996 and 2006 (compared to only 17,000 between 1970 and 1995). The species is classified by the World Conservation Union as “near threatened” in its native range in Southeast Asia due to exportation for the pet trade and hunting for skins. Thousands of pythons are also captive bred each year in the U.S. for sale as pets. Burmese pythons sell at reptile trade shows for as little as $20, and at pet stores for $65-80. An inexperienced snake keeper who takes home a 50-centimeter (20-inch) hatchling is, within a year, responsible for a brawny 2.4-meter (eight-foot) predator. Unable to handle their giant snakes, and unable to find new homes for them, some owners illegally release them into the wild. Released and escaped Burmese pythons are now breeding in the wild, and their growing numbers may result in dire consequences for native wildlife and ecosystems in South Florida.

On the use of “Judas Snakes”

“Judas snakes” are telemetered pythons that lead researchers to other pythons, which are then captured and euthanized. In the 2006 breeding season, three snakes (one female and two males) were found in association with 15 “new” pythons, and in 2007, two male pythons led to 10 additional snakes. Of the 25 snakes discovered by this method in two years, 19 were captured and removed, and the other six escaped before capture was possible. Following a telemetered female also led to the discovery of the first nest, which confirmed the existence of a breeding population in ENP.

Adult humans can be difficult for large constrictors to consume. Apparently, the shoulders can be a hindrance. However, constrictors such as Burmese Pythons are powerful and can kill their owners by constricting. A constrictor’s mouth is smaller than its appetite. From Man-Eating Snakes I:

An 11-foot pet Burmese python by the name of Sally killed a 15-year-old boy in his bed in Commerce City, Colorado in 1993. The snake bit the boy on the right foot and apparently suffocated him. The fact that the boy’s fingers also were punctured and bleeding suggests that he tried to remove the snake from his foot. The snake weighed much less than the boy (24 vs. 43 kg) and showed how strong these constrictors can be….

A 13-foot 20 kg Burmese python killed a 19-year-old man in The Bronx, New York in 1996. A neighbor found him in a hallway outside his apartment with the snake wrapped around him….

Just recently, a 10-foot Burmese python strangled an 8-year-old girl in Irwin, Pennsylvania in August 2001. She fell into a coma and was declared brain-dead two days later.

On the Net: Recent report on the Burmese Pythons in South Florida: Scientific Support for Invasive Species Management in PDF format
On the Net: USGS Maps Show Potential Non-Native Python Habitat Along Three U.S. Coasts

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