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I was reading one of the Fish & Game mags last night, and came upon an interesting item. It seems the US Fish & Wildlife Service has issued a bulletin on Large Constrictors- Their Management and Ecology. It appears that the Burmese Python has established a breeding wild population, and possibly the Anaconda and Reticulated Python as well. The Anaconda is the one of greatest concern, as it is the heaviest of the constrictors (up to 400 lbs), and hunts primarily in the water. Imagine kayaking along and seeing a shoebox size snake head suddenly emerge beside you...
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II hate giant snakes and those backwards pointing teeth
Taurus 410 sales going thru the roof? -
Years ago there was a Florida family that lived in a pier/beam house & their pets would always disappear after a brief stay. This went on for years. Then one day they needed some plumbing work done under the house....The plumber found the reason behind the missing pets.....Huge constrictor was living under the house....turns out a previous resident had "lost" their pet snake. Those things can go months between meals, but do eat a FULL plate when its chow time. Eat their prey head first. Adult human torso may not be swallowable due to wideness of shoulders, but the kid next door would make a tasty snack.
BuckyComment
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No use for snakes
Back in my grading business days, we would do work on occasion at the Morrow Mountain State Park. I recall building a large parking lot there to accomadate parking horse trailers for people who came to ride the many public trails. On the first day as we started to clear for the project, the park ranger came by and told us if we saw any rattlesnakes, (this area is infested with them), not to kill them, but to call him and he would come and move them to a safe area. Just the thoughts gave me the creeps, so I told him he might want to just find him a comfortable spot over to the side and hang around, cause if we saw any rattlers, equipment wheels and tracks would be headed their way promptly. He didn't hang around and we didn't call.Comment
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There was two shows on the History channel last night about this very subject. It seems this has been a problem now for atleast 10 years or more. The Miami Police dept, has a special unit set up just for handling Large Constrictors.
Seems there is a need for a special unit since it is a "Growing" problem. Pet snakes out grow their cages and get out into the wild, people release their pets when they dont want them anymore, recent hurricanes have destoyed pets stores allowing more constrictors to get on in the wild and breed. They said that the florida everglades is prime breeding grounds for them.
On the show they showed a 13 foot Python, that had swallowed a 6 foot Gator and then died, most likely because of a infection and it could not digest the gator. Also since 2000 they have removed over 1,300 Pythons from the everglades, and they "estimate" that there could be over 100,00 total in the everglades. They said the biggest one found in the everglades was 16-1/2 feet long and she was pregnant, carrying 59 eggs. They think that there are bigger ones out there, and a they can grow upwards of 19 feet and 200 pounds.
I have two Aunts that live in the area, and one of my brothers also. One of my aunts told me it has been a problem for more then a few years, but they have tried to keep it quiet. She had a 12 foot Python in the rafters of one of her out buildings in the late 90's, the Police removed it for her and told her not to tell everyone about it. No one in her area had filed any reports about a lost pet either. They think that it had grown in the wild on it's own, or could have been a released pet??
One other interesting fact is, The first python was discovered in the Everglades in 1979. It was removed, and no more were found until 1995. They can lay 50 to 100 eggs when they reproduce, the largest nest found so far had 83 eggs in it. They can reproduce twice a year, but usually only reproduce once per year.
Almost makes me want to go camping down there!!Comment
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Maybe they should take the snakes to LA or NYC & turn 'em lose. Might make the streets safer.
While we are on large creepy critters, go to youtube & watch the video on "Gustav", the 23 ft or so croc that they tried to catch overseas. That thing was a freak!
BuckyComment
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Coyotes in nyc
Parks dept tranquilized a coyote in nyc last week. Well fed and healthy, feasting on city rats. Easy pickins. The folks who reported it did the neighborhood a disservice.Comment
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wow that is shocking I don't know if my modified stationary panic would hold up if I stumbled on a 10 foot python, glad the winters up here in Oklahoma are cold enough to hopefully keep the pythons at bayComment
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According to the US Geological Survey, if "Global Warming" continues, a third of the continental US would be suitable habitat for the Burmese python by the end of the century. A shed skin was found in southern California, and a Yellow Anaconda was seen in Big Cypress swamp in Florida.
Maybe a market-oriented solution is the key here. Make snakeskin boots, handbags, attache cases, etc high-demand items, label snake meat "long chicken" (like sharkmeat= "grayfish"), then round up all the illegal aliens and send them on snake hunting expeditions. Remember what market hunting did for the Passenger Pigeon......
Several years ago, a lady found a small 4-5 ft python in her washing machine in Gorham, a neighboring town in Maine. It was September, so it was likely an escaped/released specimen that might have wintered over if it managed to stay out of sight...Comment
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wow maine ss you can rock me to sleep tonight and biddeford maine doesn't bob marely the comedian do a bit about biddefordComment
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Here's a good report on the Python situation, and what you can expect if it materializes near you.. http://www.rips.gov/ever/naturescien...heetSecure.pdf also www.fort.usgs.gov/FLConstrictors/ You may have to go to the USGS site, then navigate to the Everglades Park sidebar, click on "Burmese Pythons in Depth", and pull up the English PDF of the University of Fla IFAS Extension Fact Sheet. It's worth the effort- where else can you see a Beagle on the trail of a Python?Comment
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