INVASIVE SPECIES: Invasive lionfish proliferate in the Atlantic, threatening reef ecosystems

Posted on July 2, 2008 by Buck

The Lionfish, a Pacific Ocean fish, are invading the Atlantic Ocean with serious consequences for native reef species. As an invasive species, lionfish have no known natural predators, and feed heavily on native reef species. Furthermore, genetic studies show that possibly all lionfish come from fewer than ten individuals.

Burmese pythons have become a similar problem in Florida, and these large snakes could spread to one third of the United States. Pet owners have a great responsibility to keep their animals safe and in their care.

On the Net: INVASIVE SPECIES: Unwanted exotic pets becoming invasive species
On the Net: INVASIVE SPECIES: Burmese pythons, an invasive species in south Florida, could spread to one third of United States
On the Net: Lionfish Education and Outreach

INVASIVE SPECIES: Invasive Burmese pythons spreading rapidly across Florida and populations could spread northwards into suitable climates

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Buck

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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Image Found Here
Image Found Here

INVASIVE SPECIES: Unwanted exotic pets becoming invasive species

Posted on April 29, 2008 by Buck

The adoption or purchase of an animal or pet should be a life commitment. These animals should not end up in shelters, sewers or the streets. The same is true for plants. Exotic pets can be especially detrimental.

Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to Southeast Asia and grow just shy of 30 feet in length. The snake is considered an invasive species of south Florida. It became established via the pet trade. It is presumed that owners could not longer care for their ever-growing curiosities so snake owners recklessly and maybe even maliciously released them into the Floridian wild. Global warming could allow the snake to spread further north.

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) are a venomous species native to the Pacific Ocean but are now also found off the Atlantic Coast in states like Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. Again, the species probably became established by pet owners dumping the fish into the sea. Platys, an exotic freshwater fish species is thought to have become established in Australian waters from people flushing them down the toilet. This behavior is affectionately referred to as the Finding Nemo syndrome. From The Sydney Morning Herald:

Despite years of education, scientists said reckless owners probably flushed the fish down the toilet or released it in water systems, known as “Finding Nemo syndrome”.

The Department of Primary Industries found six of the fish in a drain connected to Newcastle’s main water supply, Grahamstown Dam. The department’s acting manager of aquatic biosecurity, Bill Bardsley, said that if the fish had spread to the dam it might be too late to control its numbers.

“This does highlight the need for ongoing public education, which we already do a considerable amount of,” he said.

“If you have a fish and you want to get rid of it, the right thing to do is to dispose of it humanely or give it to a fish shop or pass it on to a friend because you never know the damage they could do if released.”

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INVASIVE SPECIES: Burmese pythons, an invasive species in south Florida, could spread to one third of United States

Posted on February 26, 2008 by Buck

Current areas of the U.S. suitable as Burmese python habitat:

Year 2100 projected U.S. climate based on global warming models:

IMAGE by Lori Oberhofer shows an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) attempting to consume a Burmese python. However, Burmese pythons have been recorded consuming American alligators whole.

Burmese pythons or Python molurus bivittatus are very large snakes that kill their prey by asphyxiation, which is achieved through constriction. To prevent its prey from escaping, the python uses specially designed teeth to seize hold of its prey as it’s killed. Afterwards, the prey is swallowed completely.

Burmese pythons are native of Southeast Asia but are established in the Florida Everglades. The invasion comes via the pet trade where the snakes are purchased as curiosities. However, a small Burmese python will grow into a very large Burmese python; therefore, the snakes become too large to handle, since Burmese pythons have been recorded just shy of 30 feet and weighing just over 400 pounds.

To make matters worse, the climatic map of the United States is changing due to milder winters and climate change. As a result, suitable habitat for the Burmese python is expanding. The large constrictor is just one example of many invasive species that have become established via pet owners who release unwanted pets into non-native habitat. The poisonous lionfish is another example, in addition to a slew of other bird, reptile, and plant species. Since invasive species occupy new ecosystems, they have no natural predators. Sometimes other foreign species are carefully introduced to control invasive species; however, biological pest control can fail, because some introduced species that are suppose to control invasive species, may find natives easier to prey upon. Currently, Burmese pythons in Florida are being tracked to understand their movements and biology. In order to stop the pythons from expanding, special sniffer dogs are being used to find the snakes, and “pheromones can potentially be used to lure pythons into traps.”

The impact of invasive species on their new environments can be severe. From ScienceDaily:

Biologists with Everglades National Park confirmed a breeding population of Burmese python in the Florida Everglades in 2003, presumably the result of released pets. Python populations have since been discovered in Big Cypress National Preserve to the north, Miami’s water management areas to the northeast, Key Largo to the southeast, and many state parks, municipalities, and public and private lands in the region….

Burmese pythons have been found to eat endangered Key Largo woodrats and rare round-tailed muskrats. “This makes it that much more difficult to recover these dwindling populations and restore the Everglades,” said park biologist Skip Snow, “and all the more important that pet owners be responsible in their choice of pet and dispose of it properly should they need to. Releasing them into the environment is bad for that pet, bad for native species, and also illegal.”

On the Net: Everglades Burmese Python Project
On the Net: USGS Maps Show Potential Non-Native Python Habitat Along Three U.S. Coasts

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Image Found Here

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