The Burmese python problem: how 20ft predators are wreaking havoc on the Everglades

Australia News News

The Burmese python problem: how 20ft predators are wreaking havoc on the Everglades
Australia Latest News,Australia Headlines
  • 📰 GuardianAus
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 72 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 32%
  • Publisher: 98%

There are between 100,000 and 300,000 of these snakes in the region – and they can swallow a small deer whole. What can Florida do about this threat to biodiversity?

A Burmese Python with mouth open. Recent research has found that their maximal gape is 1.5in wider in diameter than previously thought.A Burmese Python with mouth open. Recent research has found that their maximal gape is 1.5in wider in diameter than previously thought.

n invasive predator that can grow up to 20ft, weigh over 100kg and devour prey six times its size – it is enough to make anyone’s skin crawl. That’s what residents of southern Florida have been struggling with for the past few decades, with the rapid growth of the Burmese python population in the Everglades., a team of researchers considered the maximal gape of three Burmese pythons – in other words, they measured how wide the snakes could open their mouths.

Recent estimates of the population by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission put the number of Burmese pythons anywhere betweenin Florida has paid a handful of vigilante residents to “humanely euthanise” pythons, with size-dependent commissions paid on top of an hourly rate. An annual competition -Other approaches include training a beagle, known as Python Pete, to sniff them out, and using a tagged male snake to reveal the location of a reproductively active female.

Combined, these efforts are making a dent. A recent estimate by Rodney Barreto, Chairman of the FWC, claimed 14,000 pythons had been “successfully removed” since 2017. says “controlling their numbers and preventing their spread out of the area are critical goals for conservation efforts and land managers.” But the odds of eradicating an invasive species like this completely is very low.is also “very low”, with no recorded deaths by pythons living in the wild.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

GuardianAus /  🏆 1. in AU

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

‘The sky is the limit now’: Bitcoin surges past $US100,000 in Trump rally‘The sky is the limit now’: Bitcoin surges past $US100,000 in Trump rallyThe cryptocurrency has boomed following the election victory of Donald Trump, who has promised to usher in pro-crypto regulation in the US.
Read more »

Bitcoin Surges Past $US100,000 Amid Trump Victory and Pro-Crypto RegulationsBitcoin Surges Past $US100,000 Amid Trump Victory and Pro-Crypto RegulationsBitcoin has reached an unprecedented high of $US100,000 following the election of Donald Trump and his promise to implement pro-crypto policies. This surge is attributed to the nomination of a crypto advocate to lead the SEC, boosting investor confidence by over 40% in just four weeks.
Read more »

‘The sky is the limit now’: Bitcoin surges past $US100,000 in Trump rally‘The sky is the limit now’: Bitcoin surges past $US100,000 in Trump rallyThe cryptocurrency has boomed following the election victory of Donald Trump, who has promised to usher in pro-crypto regulation in the US.
Read more »

Bitcoin Surges Past $US100,000 Amid Trump Presidency Hopes and SEC NominationBitcoin Surges Past $US100,000 Amid Trump Presidency Hopes and SEC NominationCryptocurrency Bitcoin's value has surpassed the $US100,000 mark, influenced by expectations of a Donald Trump presidency and his nomination of Paul Atkins as SEC chair, aimed at boosting US capital markets and digital assets.
Read more »

ASX set to inch up as Wall Street treads water; bitcoin holds above $US100,000ASX set to inch up as Wall Street treads water; bitcoin holds above $US100,000US stocks are mostly quiet with indexes hanging around their records ahead of a big jobs report due on Friday.
Read more »

US Stocks Quiet Amid Record Levels, Bitcoin Surges Above $US103,000US Stocks Quiet Amid Record Levels, Bitcoin Surges Above $US103,000US stocks remained largely stable as major indexes hovered near record levels before Friday's jobs report. Bitcoin saw a sharp spike above $US103,000, although it later retreated. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%, the Dow fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq increased slightly. American Airlines Group led gains with a 15.3% surge after announcing better-than-expected financial forecasts.
Read more »



Render Time: 2025-02-12 13:57:29