Burmese Pythons Taking over the Florida Everglades

The Burmese Python is one of many invasive species. These snakes are native the Southeast Asia. They were imported to the U.S. for pet trade. However, people who own these snakes sometimes don't realize they can grow up to 22ft and weigh up to 200 pounds. The size of these snakes prohibits them from being appropriate pets. As a result these animals are released into the wild. Not only does this affect the ecosystem, but it also affects the mammal and bird populations. In the

Burmese Pythons is a non-native pest in the United States of America, which originated from South Asia. The species is becoming an established breeding population in South Florida and its environs. The python was illegally freed in the Everglades National park where the marshy grasses and water provide a conducive environment for its survival. Burmese python was recognized as a reproducing population around the year 2000. The python has been classified as an invasive species in Florida. The species has disrupted the ecosystem by preying on native species and out-competing them for food. The python is a successful invasive species because their large size makes it have fewer predators (alligators and humans) (Brown, 2006). Efforts have been put in place to manage the increase of the Burmese pythons due to the devastating effects it has caused in the ecosystem. Python removal and control is being done through dogs and human search. Dog search has recorded much greater success than human beings because humans cannot access some areas due to the thick vegetation.

Have you ever seen a snake that can grow up to 23 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds? If you have, then you have seen a Burmese python. These pythons can grow to be the width of a sycamore tree branch. They are native to Southeast Asia, but due to bad ownership, they are now roaming the Everglades, unbalancing the ecosystem. The Burmese Pythons are negatively affecting the Everglades by disrupting the food chain, causing an unsafe sport, and they are growing exponentially.

I think that these pythons are causing many problems and if we do not remove them from the ecosystem soon, they might cause permanent damage. I think that if we need to step in to stop this problem, it has grown far too big for comfort. These snakes are diminishing populations by the minute. If we wait any longer, the entire Florida ecosystem may no longer

Humans have caused another extinction, one that could possibly take us down in the process, species are exponentially going extinct because of habitat loss, species exportation, and invasive species bullying native species. On the other hand, scientists are trying to safe guard native species, keep animals in captivity whether it be for the animals well-being or for research, and widespread invasion. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting “What Everglades Pythons and Other Invasive Species are Trying to Tell Us,” by Julia Whitty and “The Sixth Extinction,” by Jeff Corwin.

According to the article “Burmese pythons : not the ideal pet”,Matt Piven states “The python’s unique hinged jaws allow it to swallow an object five times as wide as it’s own head.” This statement means it would be very difficult to kill a snake like this,so if the hunter was not survive. My reasoning is to spread the word that the people we set out to kill these monsters needs to be trained not people that have no experience they're basically putting themselves in a cage saying “come at me.” In addition a newspaper article that goes by the name of “Florida's python hunt” by Andrew Ng he mentions “with no natural predators,these eating machines appear to be wiping out huge numbers of opossums,raccoons,and many bird species.” Ultimately, this matters because we can clearly tell by this article that the Burmese pythons are carnivores(they eat meat). They could easily sneak in someone's house and kill them. Pythons are not safe pets to have. In fact we shouldn't have them as pets at all considering how dangerous they

The presenters of the burmese pythons is negative it is impacting Florida's everglades. According to the news article that the senate of the committee brought a 16 foot long snake skin to a meeting. Its response to these is Florida's fishing and wildlife and sent out a prize to whoever finds the fattiest and the longest. The longest python found was 23 feet long and the fatties one was 200 pounds.

Burmese Pythons are definitely astonishing creatures. Native to Southeast Asia’s version of the Everglades, these pythons are very exotic. These pythons reach sizes of up to 23 feet which makes them one of the largest snakes in the world! “In short order, those little fellows grew to eight feet, 12 feet, 16 feet, 18 plus feet (Paragraph 5).” This explains how they grow rather

The Burmese python has become a predatory species in the Florida Everglades. The Burmese Python has slowly been taking over the Florida Everglades eating small animals and causing massive destruction. The reason for this problem is the growth rate of the species occurring all over the Everglades. The ecosystem is perfect for the ever growing population of Burmese pythons in the Everglades. Pythons have migrated to the Florida Everglades by irresponsible pet owners and escaping from their homes.

A female Burmese Python will lay up to 207 eggs at once. Inside her nest, she will coil her body around the eggs to maintain a temperature of about ninety degrees Fahrenheit. Incubation takes around two months. The python has only just recently been observed engaging in shivering thermo genesis for the first time outside of captivity. This is the production of body heat through muscle contractions. The mother snake does this to raise the temperature of her nest and eggs- the warmer the incubation, the quicker they will hatch, and slither free throughout the forest, carrying on its destructive path. With this sort of reproduction, it’s no wonder they’re so easily taking over the Everglades.

In early January of 2013 legislators came up with a very way of catching pythons that are loose and out of the National Park, it is called the “2013 Python Challenge”. There is a hunt for Burmese pythons in the Everglades, this contest started in the later part of January and will end the 18th of February. Nearly 1,600 hunters from 38 states, Washington D.C. and Canada, took part in the challenge, which offered cash prizes (Tuffley). The Challenge lasted for a month in which 68 pythons were caught. A$1500 reward was given to the hunter who caught the most pythons and $1000 for the hunter who caught the longest. As of the 11th of January there has been 11 pythons caught in the Everglades and are being kept at the University of Florida; until, the contest is over. There is a prize for the longest and the biggest snake caught. (Greenwood).

Do you think pythons are scary? Well if you aren’t then you will be as soon as you finish this book. The Burmese pythons is a very long and wide animal. Yes, people has them as pets. But that dangerous to keep them. Those snakes size up and can possibly eat you. Just think what kind of effect it has on the everglades and the ecosystem.

The Burmese Pythons are a Native Species of Southeast Asia, but recently these pythons have appeared in the Florida Everglades and have been reproducing exponentially ever since their arrival. Some measures have been taken to reduce the population of the Pythons such as, introducing the Python Challenge, an annual Python hunting competition. The Burmese Python has had devastating impacts on the Native Species of the Florida Everglades. Some organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are outraged about the hunting of the Burmese Python in the Everglades. Even though PETA and other animal rights groups believe that Burmese Pythons should not be killed, measures need to be taken to solve the Python problem because

Burmese pythons have evolved to become super predators, the American alligator gets challenged by the Burmese python when it comes to being the top predator, in most occasions these two animals clash in a battle to the death for the same reason; to satisfy their needs. In rare moments the python is able to intimidate the alligator, "making the python a superior predator".