What Is A Burmese Python ?
Burmese pythons are tan in colour with dark blotches along the back and sides.Their spots sort of look like the ones that you would find on a giraffe. They can grow to a length of 4 meters. They are native to Southeast Asia but are now established in South Florida. South Florida has a tropical climate zone and a latitude/longitude of 24 degrees 30 seconds North and from 79 to 87 degrees 38 seconds West.
Location of Burmese Pythons in North America |
Burmese Python FactsThe Burmese python is the largest subspecies of the Indian python and one of the six largest snakes in the world.The body of a Burmese python is longer and thinner than the Anaconda’s. Pythons are constrictors, so they don’t have fangs. They do have back curving teeth that grab prey and don’t let it escape. Burmese pythons are found in southern China, Burma, Indochina, Thailand, and the Malay Archipelago but are pests in South Florida (see map on left). Burmese pythons hunt mammals, birds and reptiles of appropriate size. The presence of domestic pigs and chickens attracts the python into farms and rural towns. In the wild, snakes do not eat every day. Burmese pythons spend their mornings soaking up the sun’s warmth (because they are cold blooded), enabling them to move around to look for food. If they are successful in their hunt for prey and lucky enough to eat, they spend the next several days or weeks keeping warm enough to digest their meal. The prey is swallowed whole. The jaws separate and allow the snake to take in an animal four to five times as wide as its head. |
How Geography Helped Them
Burmese pythons were probably introduced into Southern Florida as exotic pets that were then released by owners once they became too big.
Burmese pythons live in rain forests near streams although they survive in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, swamps, marshes, and rocky foothills. Populations are dependent upon a permanent source of water. Most of Florida is low-lying plains and one third of Florida is submerged in water so the python doesn't need to go far to be near water. Southern Florida (where the python is most commonly found) is a swampy region so the python has as much water and preyas it needs to maintain itself. Florida has mild temperature and rarely gets to extremes so the weather is perfect for the the python to thrive. The Burmese python has few predators (apart from large alligators and hunters). As the area is swampy and not suitable for towns, the human population is low which is another help for the python numbers to thrive. South Florida is a subtropical zone. South East Asia is also a subtropical zone so that is another reason why they did so well. |
Rainfall Chart for North America |
Economic Impact
The Burmese pythons both eat the native animals of Florida and their food sources (including endangered species). A typical female breeds every other year, produces a clutch of between twenty and fifty eggs, and can live for twenty years so for the native animals that means a lot of competition to get food.
There are a range of organisations that have spent varying amounts to try and control the python numbers. These costs include:
There are a range of organisations that have spent varying amounts to try and control the python numbers. These costs include:
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with many organizations, has spent more than $6 million since 2005 finding and applying
- The Service spent $604,656 over a three-year period to design python traps;
- The District spent $334,000 between 2005 and 2009 and anticipates spending $156,600 more on research, salaries, and vehicles in the next several years;
- The USDA Wildlife Research Center spent $15,800 in 2008-2009 on salaries, travel and supplies to research snake control technologies;and
- The USGS, in conjunction with the University of Florida, spent more than $1.5 million on research; radio telemetry; and the development, testing and implementation of nonnative constrictor snake traps