Pythons are fascinating creatures. There are 11 species, and some, you’ve likely heard about. The Reticulated Python, which is named for the diamond-shaped pattern along its back. Often reaching 20 feet long, these snakes are some of the largest in the world. One Reticulated was recorded at 28.5 feet and 320 pounds. They often live longer than 20 years, too. The crafty creature will lie in wait, paying attention to heat signatures until it’s ready to pounce. The snake uses its backward-curved, razor-sharp teeth to latch onto its prey as it wraps around the animal’s body and squeezes it until it suffocates. Some have even gone after humans.
Ball Pythons are also well-known. That species is smaller compared to other pythons, usually reaching just 6 feet long, but they live much longer. One Ball Python lived to be 47 years old. The Ball Python earned its name from its instinct to curl up into a ball when it feels threatened. Native to sub-Saharan Africa, they are also often called Royal Pythons because wealthy and royal people in African would wear them as jewelry.
In the United States, we deal most often with the Burmese Python, one of the world’s largest snakes, often reaching 23 feet and 200 pounds. Between 1996 and 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says just under 100,000 Burmese were imported from Southeast Asia for people to keep as pets. These reptiles grow to about 8 feet long on average, and people who could not take care of such a large pet began releasing them into the wild, where they’ve bred like crazy, and devastated the Florida Everglades for the past two decades. Females can lay up to 100 eggs a year, so the population has exploded to about 300,000.
Burmese Pythons eat birds and rats native to the Everglades, putting certain species at risk of extinction. The USGS says populations of raccoons, opossums, and bobcats in the Everglades have been nearly cut in half. Foxes and two types of rabbits have been almost wiped out entirely. They have also been known to kill humans.
Though pythons in the United States are mostly associated with South Florida, new research shows the snakes could slither nearly all the way north up the coast. The snakes are fantastic swimmers and travel far distances through creeks and canals, spreading their populations. Burmese Pythons can function fine in temperatures as cold as 60 degrees. Below that point, they have trouble eating and digesting food, and the snakes can’t withstand freezing temperatures. However, some Burmese Pythons have adapted to hibernate to make it through winters in higher altitudes. Researchers believe that if there is a mild winter, the snakes could make it as far as Washington, D.C. before the winter there slows them down.
The problem has only worsened annually as the snakes have no natural predators after they reach adulthood. Once in a while, they’ll get into a fight with alligators, but the snakes often win those battles. The Burmese Python has powerful fangs that can cause dangerous lacerations, but that bite isn’t venomous. However, the snake’s constriction can cut off oxygen to limbs, break bones, and eventually suffocate animals much larger than the snakes themselves.
The South Florida Water Management District has its own elimination program with a $225,000 budget. The “Python Challenge Python Bowl” is a ten-day-long python-hunting extravaganza held each January. Burmese Python hunters get paid minimum wage to round up the snakes, plus a bonus if they find any. The District pays $50 for per python under 4 feet long, $75 for pythons over 4 feet, and $200 for each nesting female. There are also prizes like free ATVs or extra cash bonuses for teams that catch the longest snake, the heaviest one, and the largest number of total snakes. In the past two years, those efforts rounded up just under 3,000 Burmese Pythons. In 2019, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised to double funds dedicated to python removal.
If you need help handling a python, call Commando Pest Control and Trappers. Our locally owned company is run by some of the toughest folks in the business. We are ready to take on your nightmares– be it flying, slithering, or crawling. We are dedicated to Central Florida and the happiness of the people living and working here. We know seeing a snake creep up isn’t the recipe for a good day, so we’re here to get rid of that beast and set you back on track.
Uncategorized
Florida’s Python Problem
Pythons are fascinating creatures. There are 11 species, and some, you’ve likely heard about. The Reticulated Python, which is named for the diamond-shaped pattern along