Title
Burmese Pythons in the Everglades
Author Information
Khoren Babakhanyan
American River College, Geography 26: Data Acquisition in GIS; Fall 2012
Abstract
As one of the largest snakes in the world, the Burmese python call the
Everglades its home. The snake can reach over twenty feet in length and about
two hundred pounds, it loves the marsh and swamp
surface of the Everglades National Park. Over the past decade the population of
the Burmese python has jump from few hundred, to well over a hundred thousand.
Just in the past five years, the number of captured or killed Burmese pythons
in the Everglades has doubled from 200 to over 400. Because they can be very
massive in size, their diet includes other large and medium sized animals.
Alligators, bobcats, large rats, and deer are some of the animals it feeds on,
and because of the overpopulation of the snake, it has caused the number of
native mammals and reptiles to diminish to near extinct. The State of Florida
has set up laws and programs to help reduce the overpopulation
Introduction
They are native to the jungles of Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons are among the
largest snakes on Earth. They are capable of reaching over 23 feet in length
and weighing up to 200 pounds. Although the species is near threatening in its
native area in Southeast Asia, the estimated number of Burmese pythons in
Florida ranges from a few thousand to as many as 150,000. Burmese pythons were
first reported in the Everglades in 2000, and from 2002 to 2005 about two hundred
pythons were captured or killed, and in 2006-2007 that number doubled to over
400 snakes. The growing number of pythons in the Everglades has caused many of
the native animals to become endangered; animals that were predators before the
Burmese invasion, have now become the prey. Due to the increase in number the
Florida Fish and Wildlife has set a program called Python Patrol, alerting
people to notify the trained responders. And in 2010 the Florida Legislature
adopted a conservancy backed measure, which prohibits personal possession of
large constrictors, and one of them being the over populated Burmese python.
Background
Burmese pythons are indigenous to south-east Asia, from India to southern China
including Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. These snakes grow over 17
feet long and as much as 200 pounds. Their average life span is between 15-25
years. The python is an excellent swimmer and needs a permanent source of
water. It is usually found in grasslands, marshes, swamps, river valleys, and
jungles.
Map showing the origins of
the Burmese python, which including parts of India, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Thailand, Philippines, other southeast part of Asia.
The Burmese python has no venom, thus no fangs, but what
they do have is incredible strength. They kill by constriction, biting their
victims with their sharp teeth, coiling their bodies around the victim, and
squeezing until it suffocates. They have stretchy ligaments in their jaws that
allow them to swallow all their food whole. They can eat animals such
heron’s, alligators, and deer; animals that are much larger in size then
the Burmese python.
Methods
The Burmese python was first introduced in Florida in the late 70’s, but
since the early 2000’s the increase number of captures of the Burmese
python has signified the overall number of the giant snake. From just over 200
pythons being captured or killed from 2000 to 2005, to well over 400 from
2006-2007. And because the python can over twenty three feet and grow up to 200
pounds, they can easily kill a man or eat large animals. Some of the prey
species include mammals such as; bobcats, white tailed deer, and raccoons.
Birds are also part of the diet for the Burmese python, and they include; geese,
American coot, and house wren. And by far one of the biggest predators in the
everglades is also a prey for the Burmese python, the American alligators. From
2003 to 2008 scientists collected 343 Burmese pythons from the Everglades
National Park, and 85 of the snakes had bird remains in their intestines. I
have gone to various web pages and gathered data that includes; the increase in
the number of pythons in the Everglades, which showed the number of Burmese
pythons increasing in number from a couple of hundred in the early 2000s to
well over the tens of thousands today. The decrease in
number, and sometimes the extinction of various animals in the Everglades,
mostly the native animals, due to the Burmese python. I have found
charts displaying the number of certain animals before the over population of
the python in the early 2000s. And
finally I have found a couple of methods that were taken by the state of
Florida in order to help restore the balance in the Everglades by reducing the
number of Burmese pythons. The first methods was training about 200 skilled
python handlers to go out and capture and if warranted kill Burmese pythons.
This was mostly with the help of the public, they were asked to notify the
snake handlers if they saw any non-native animals, which included the Burmese
python. They second part to the method was the use of GPS to mark the area
where the snake was obtained and by doing this they could have a better idea of
where the giant serpents were located. Finally, in 2010 the State of Florida
passed legislature prohibiting people in the state from owning large
constrictors, which also included the Burmese python.
Results
Figure:1
Figure 1 displays the number of mammals in Everglades National Park from both
1993-1999 and 2003-2011. As you can see ever animal in the figure as gone down
in numbers by more than half, and in some cases are now extinct or rarely seen.
Animals like the Gray and Red fox and the March rabbit are now rarely seen and
could be considered extinct. Raccoons that used to have numbers in the mid two
hundreds, but now their numbers are in the single digits.
Figure: 2
Figure 2, Left, shows the
number of Burmese python sightings in the State of Florida. And due to the warm
climate, and marsh and swamp land the highest reported sightings were in the
Everglades. However, the snakes are adapting to other surrounding areas north
of the Everglades which could lead to more devastation, in particular native
animals that don’t call the Everglades home. Figure: 2, Right,
Because female pythons are known to lay dozens of eggs
Figure: 3
Figure: 3 displays the number of Burmese pythons that were either
captured or killed in Everglades National Park, from 1979 to 2007. Until about
2003 the number of pythons captured or killed was relatively low, due to the
fact that the popularity of the Burmese python as a house pet was just rising.
However since 2004, the number of captured or killed pythons has dramatically
increased, from under one hundred in 2005 to 250 in 2007. One of the big
reasons why is the fact that owners of large Burmese pythons are unable to take
care of their snake, so they release them into the wild, which has caused havoc
in the Everglades. However, the chart to the right shows the number of pythons
captured slightly lower than the past two years, this could be due to the fact
that the release of pythons into the wild are strictly prohibited and to help
ensure that no one can get away with it, all python owners must register and
chip their pets.
Figure: 4
Figure 4 displays the Python Handlers using their
GPS monitors to pin point the locations of the area where they captured the
Snake, and the eastern and northern edges of the Everglades are the areas where
the Burmese pythons are mainly located, according to this map.
Analysis
The effect of the Burmese python
on Everglades National Park has been overwhelming, the snakes have caused the
extinction or near extinction of number of native animals. And due to the lack
of effort to stop their population in the past decade, it may already be too
late. However, the state of Florida has passed various laws in order to slow
down the snake population, but due to the fact that those laws have just
recently been approved in the past two years, the effects have not shown yet.
People who own pythons as a pet must register and chip them in order to have them
and not face severe penalties. This will ensure that pet owners don’t
just release the snakes as soon as they get overwhelmed with their size, like
they were doing in the early 2000s. The state also hired over 200 people who
specialized in pythons to go out in the wild and either capture or euthanize
the snakes, with the help of the public who was advised to notify the snake
handlers whenever they spotted an exotic snake such as the Burmese python.
However, due to the massive area known as Everglades National Park, it is hard
to have that few number of python wranglers, so the state of Florida is holding
a challenge to its residents to safely kill as many Burmese pythons as they
can, and in return they are allowed to keep the meat and the skin of the snake as
a prize if they so choose.
Conclusion
Overall, it is hard to analyze the
results because the steps that have been taken to help the ecosystem of the
Everglades has only been in effect for the past couple of years, so to better understand
the results, more time needs to go by and more data needs to be obtained. But
as of 2011, the number of Burmese pythons has gone down to its lowest since
2008, so hopefully the state and its people can help the National Park and its
native animals by controlling the population of the Burmese Python. One
solution I would suggest would be to not allow Burmese pythons as pets. People
buy illegal items daily, so to demand them to register and chip their pets at
100 dollars annually, they would most likely obtain the snake illegally and
release the reptile later on. So by make them illegal, it makes it much easier
for authorities to spot the owners in order to severely fine them or even
harsher, place them under arrest. However, as I said above, the laws and
programs they have in place today, need more time in order to see results. But
in my opinion, the State took too long to implement a plan, and the sheer
number of the snakes could be too large to overcome.
References
Gibbons, Johnny. "Smithsonian Science."
Invasive Burmese Pythons Are Taking a Toll on Florida’s Native Birds.
Published: 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. http://smithsonianscience.org/2011/03/burmese-pythons-are-taking-a-toll-on-floridas-native-birds/
Harvey, Rebecca G. "Burmese Pythons in South Florida:." EDIS. University
of Florida, 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2012.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw286
"The Nature Conservancy. Protecting
Nature. Preserving Life." Stopping a Burmese Python Invasion. Published:
7 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/florida/howwework/stopping-a-burmese-python-invasion.xml
Weise, Elizabeth. "USA TODAY." Pythons Have
Stranglehold on Florida Everglades Ecosystem. Published: 1
Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Dec. 2012. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/story/2012-01-30/pythons-florida-everglades/52893342/1