1st February 2012
Invasion of Pythons!

Florida is famous for its beaches, palm trees and of course Disneyland but for many residents, especially if you're a small mammal, you might have more sinister things on your mind.  Burmese Pythons have made a comfy home in Florida's Everglades and happen to be one of the largest snakes on earth, growing up to 7 metres long and weighing in at 90 kilograms.  Gulp.

Florida is a southeastern state in America and home to the Everglades, which is a large natural region of subtropical wetlands with trees and shrubs, meandering rivers, lakes, mangroves and swamps.  This unique and diverse ecoysystem has proved an ideal habitat for Burmese pythons but you might be wondering  how these Asian reptiles got there.  The origins of this new population are unknown but it is thought that the first snakes were pets that had been released into the wild.  As more and more were released families grew and the species thrived.

The effect of all of these pythons in the Everglades is a bit like releasing a herd of wolves or lions into the English countryside.  With no natural predators there is little competition and plenty of small mammals to feed on.  In Florida, to survey the impact of this invasive species researchers looked at the number and type of species killed on the area's roads in the last twenty years and found surprising results.

Researchers found a 99% drop in many mammals including rabbits, racoons, white-tailed deers and bobcats - small mammals which are very likely to be part of a python's diet.  In fact during a recent survey, no rabbits or foxes were seen at all whereas ten years ago these were the most likely to be seen, and in great numbers. 

Invasive species can be extremely damaging to habitats which aren't used to such damaging predators.  In 2009, 400 pythons were removed but their numbers grow every year.  Habitats such as the Everglades have formed over thousands and thousands of years and each animal, bird and insect plays its part in their biodiversity, maintaining a healthy ecosystem.  When new and powerful species appear the effects can be dramatic.  Let's hope it's not too late for the areas rabbits and foxes.

Here are more examples of invasive species -

Army of lionfish take over the Atlantic Ocean
Smelly ants invade island

See our factsheet Biodiversity for more information about animals and their habitats.

Photo © Ted bobosh_t CC BY-SA 2.0

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