As of: 06/24/2022 4:53 p.m
Biologists in Florida have captured what is believed to be the largest Burmese python ever sighted in the US state. The researchers are sounding the alarm: the introduced species of snake threatens the local wildlife.
Almost 100 kilos heavy and five meters long: what biologists and conservationists presented dead on their steel table in Florida is frightening. Not just because of the sheer size – this female python is the heaviest ever caught in the Everglades – but because of the threat it poses to the ecosystem.
“We have documented 122 eggs in this snake,” said biologist Ian Bartoszek in a news conference. “An average clutch has 43 eggs. Imagine that: 122 eggs maturing inside.”
Competition for panthers and alligators
Burmese pythons don’t belong in Florida, but have spread rapidly in recent years – most likely after people released their pets there. Since then they have been devastating the local wildlife of the already unstable swamp area – from birds to rabbits and opossums to game. This animal, which was caught last December, had last eaten an adult white-tailed deer. The autopsy found hooves in the stomach.
“These animals are big game hunters, as you can imagine given their size,” explains Bartoszek. “They are capable of taking down considerably large prey.” The endangered native Florida panther is left behind. And the alligators, whose habitat is already restricted by human settlements, have serious competition.
race against time
The conservationists at the Conservancy for Southwest Florida have therefore been hunting pythons for almost ten years. It is particularly important to catch females, because then the breeding cycle can be interrupted. More than 1000 animals have already been removed. It’s a race against time. How many are still out there, conservationists wonder. And what invasive species will they find next?
Largest python caught in Florida history
Katrin Brand, ARD Washington, 6/24/2022 3:36 p.m