Captured and killed in Florida, juvenile Burmese pythons (left), a young African rock python (center), and a larger African rock python lay coiled on a tray in a Unversity of Florida laboratory in late August 2009.
Posted on 09/14/2009 11:51:51 AM PDT by JoeProBono
Already squeezed by the invasion of the giant Burmese python, Florida now faces what one scientist calls one of the U.S. state's "worst nightmares."
Africa's largest snake—the ill-tempered, 20-foot-long (6.1-meter-long) African rock python—is colonizing the U.S. state, new discoveries suggest.
Six African rock pythons have been found in Florida since 2002. More troubling, a pregnant female and two hatchlings have been found, which means the aggressive reptiles have set up house.
More dangerous than even Burmese pythons—which are known to eat alligators (alligator-python picture)—the African pythons are "so mean, they come out of the egg striking," said Kenneth Krysko, senior herpetologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
"This is just one vicious animal."
So far the giant snakes have been found only in a single square mile (2.6 square kilometers) of suburban area west of Miami. Pet breeders unprepared for the pythons' ferocity may have released them, Krysko said.
What's "really scary" is that the new invaders only have to cross the road to enter Everglades National Park, where Burmese pythons have already eaten thousands of native animals, he said.
With the addition of the rock python, Florida is now an established home-away-from-home for three large alien constrictors—including the Burmese species and the boa constrictor—according to wildlife biologist Robert Reed, who studies invasive reptiles for the U.S. Geological Survey in Fort Collins, Colorado....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...
Captured and killed in Florida, juvenile Burmese pythons (left), a young African rock python (center), and a larger African rock python lay coiled on a tray in a Unversity of Florida laboratory in late August 2009.
And don’t get me started on the kudzu!!!
Idiots.....
this is just nature confirming it.
A nearly fifty foot python was caught in Indonesia and is now in captivity. They feed it dogs.
Son of a
Ick - kill them all.
Q: How do you grow kudzu?
A: Throw a piece on the ground and RUN!
Q: How do you kill kudzu?
A: Ask nully to farm it...
Impressive
gads.
Where's this one?
We have a bounty / hunting process down here for em and are doing pretty good at it. Problem is the Federal Lands prohibit killing them and the Federal Lands are BIG.
So they have a federal protection to reproduce in droves.
Florida. Strange place.
Regarding Indonesians feeding dogs to snakes, Asian countries are very sick and depraved, and I wouldn’t mind one bit if a huge typhoon and/or tsunami wiped them all out.
BTW, my wife is half-Japanese (Japan being probably the best of the sick bunch)and she agrees.
Us humans are pretty good at exterminating species if money is involved. So way doesn’t the gov’t institute a bounty for every one of these pythons killed.
Drop a few in the White House
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.