Florida Invasive Species

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

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.

The Burmese Python is one of the most invasive of these non-native species. The snakes originate from Southeast Asia, so they thrive in Florida’s similar environment. The Everglades became sort of a paradise to the pythons, since their introduction in the early 1990’s.

There are many different efforts in place to slow the population growth of the Burmese python. Due to the overwhelming amount of the non-native pythons in the Everglades (which is expanding to the Florida Keys and beyond) there has been a ban on Burmese pythons and 3 other constrictor snakes. On January 17, 2012 the Federal Wildlife service declared a ban on overseas imports of the snakes as well as interstate imports. That means the snakes are now illegal to bring into the United States as well as just transporting over state lines (BIG snakes, 2012). Although there is now a ban in place some feel that it is already too late to save the Florida Everglades. According to Steven A. Williams, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) warns that invasive species are "the number one environmental threat to the United States."(BIG snakes, 2012) The federal government has spent billions of dollars trying to slow or stop the threat of invasive species.

Meanwhile pythons are not a pet. They are way too dangerous for us. Releasing them anywhere in the U.S. not only hurts us but animals and it’s changing the everglades. This snake is from Southeast Asia and it’s among the largest snake. So now do you think it’s changing the everglades. According to source 1, “Native to the grassy marshes of Southeast Asia, it is among the largest snakes in the world. Capable of growing to an astounding length of 23 feet and a weight up to 200 pounds.” Like I said in the first part. They are not for pets! They will hurt each and everything in the everglades and soon only pythons will be there. These animals are and going to keep repopulating and if they don’t put them out as soon as they get them. According to source 1, “When the animal tries to pull away it only sink in further into the python’s grip. Then the python’s coil’s

The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is one of the largest snakes in the world, measuring up to 5.74 meters long and weighing up to 182.8 kilograms. The species is native to southeast Asia and in its native habitat, consumes a wide array of prey including many different mammal, amphibian, lizard, snake, bird, and fish species (Snow et al. 2007). In southern Florida, pythons have established themselves across thousands of square kilometers including all of Everglades National Park (Boback et al. 2016). Research points to multiple instances of pet release to be the cause of their introduction to the Everglades as a foreign species (Snow et al. 2007). Python populations have significantly increased in both abundance and geographic range in the Everglades since their introduction, preying on a wide variety of native mammals and birds, posing a serious problem as an invasive species and apex predator (Dorcas et al. 2012).

My research on the python has lead me to the conclusion of the labeling of the Burmese python as an invasive species. This organism is a key stone species of Burma Asia. Though in the past few years some where located in everglades of Florida. We believe that some people brought a python back from a trip and thought it would be cool to have as an exotic pet, but then realized the dangers and released it into the wild The species rapidly grew and began to compete with other native species in the area to survive. One of the native species the python is competing with is Florida's known alligators.

Burmese python are over taking the everglades. The burmese python is coming to much out of control. The new paper states “Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are estimated to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate.” The burmese python is getting out of control with their size. the news paper states “In a dramatic demonstration intended to underscore the threat posed by these snakes, Florida Senator Bill Nelson actually took the skin from a 16-foot Burmese python to a Senate committee hearing on the subject.”

Burmese pythons are negatively affecting Florida’s Everglades. These pythons are originally from Southeast Asia. Source four tells us that we should do a better job of educating people about their careless actions. Source four also tells us that keeping these malicious snakes as pets is injudicious. There are about tens of thousands of Burmese pythons estimated living in the Everglades. The main reason why these snakes are in the Everglades is because people thought that they could handle them as pets, but as soon as they kept them, they turned them loose into the Everglades. This information tells you why these pythons are a burden and a threat to these precious animals and the

Burmese Pythons are taking over the Everglades. Burmese Pythons are taking over the Everglades because the people that owned them, they thought the Burmese Pythons were too big, so they let them go into the Florida Everglades. Also the people of Florida are having a thing called a python hunt. That's going to hurt the environment because the people of Florida are letting untrained hunters to kill Burmese Pythons with shotguns ex, The people might even be a bigger threat to the Everglades. Some of the people have not seen pythons at all so they might shoot any kind of snake.

During their vacation, a family traveled to the Everglades to enjoy and relax in nature, but their trip was interrupted by a 20 feet long snake. It sounds very frightening, as well as uncommon. However, any person that visits the Florida Everglades has a very good change of encountering a snake like that one, called Burmese pythons. Their population in this natural area has increased tremendously because humans adopt them as pets when they’re young and later release them into the Everglades. The presence of the Burmese pythons is having a large effect on the Everglades because they are killing local animals, endangering its ecosystem, and outing people in danger.

Whether you love or hate snakes, one thing is for sure, Burmese pythons are taking over the everglades. The Burmese pythons are in the Everglades where they don’t belong. They were purchased as pets released in the Everglades, and now eating native animals . This is a serious problem for the ecosystem

“Also this year, the South Florida Water Management District petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add Burmese pythons to a modest list of "injurious wildlife" maintained under the 107-year-old Lacey Act” (Snow). These snakes have been an enormous problem in Florida from taking over land, killing off animals that are native to Florida, as well as making the community afraid of going outside.

The Burmese python is an invasive species from Southeast Asia, but it’s no mistake they are here. They originally were brought here as pets in the 90’s, but quickly owners noticed their extensive growth rate and released them back into the wild. You would think that the snakes would die, but in a tropical climate like Florida’s they thrived and are now wiping out Florida’s