Dataset Identification:
Resource Abstract:
- description: The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), a native to Southeast Asia, can reach a length greater than twenty
feet (Wall 1921, Pope 1961). This python is a long lived (15 - 25 years) behavioral, habitat, and dietary generalist, capable
of producing large clutches of eggs (8 - 107) (Lederer 1956, Branch and Erasmus 1984). Observations of Burmese pythons exist
in the United States primarily from locations within Everglades National Park (ENP), including; along the Main Park Road in
the saline and freshwater glades, and mangroves, between Pay-hay-okee and Flamingo, the greater Long Pine Key area (including
Hole-in-the-Donut), and the greater Shark Valley area along the Tamiami Trail (including L-67 Ext.). The non-native species
has also been observed repeatedly on the eastern boundary of ENP, along canal levees, in the remote mangrove backcountry,
and in Big Cypress National Preserve. From 2002 (when the numbers first began to climb) to 2005, 201 pythons were captured
and removed or found dead. In 2006-2007 alone, that number more than doubled to 418. Measured total length for snakes recovered
ranged from 0.5 m to 4.5 m including five hatchling-sized animals recovered in the summer of 2004, and two hatchlings captured
in 2005. In 2008, 343 pythons were removed, and so far in 2009, 347 individuals have been removed. The non-native semi-aquatic
pythons's diet in southern Florida includes raccoon, rabbit, muskrat, squirrel, opossum, cotton rat, black rat, bobcat,
house wren, pied-billed grebe, white ibis, limpkin, alligator and endangered Key Largo wood rat. As Python molurus is known
to eat birds, and also known to frequent wading bird colonies in their native range, the proximity of python sightings to
the Paurotis Pond and Tamiami West wood stork rookeries is troubling. The potential for pythons to eat Mangrove Fox Squirrels
and Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows and to compete with Indigos Snakes is also of concern. Burmese Pythons present a potential
threat to successful ecological restoration of the greater Everglades (NRC 2005). Pythons are now established and breeding
in South Florida. Python molurus bivittatus has the potential to occupy the entire footprint of the Comprehensive Everglades
Restoration Project (CERP), adversely impacting valued resources across the landscape. Proposed management and control actions
must include research strategies and further evaluation of potential impacts of pythons. The results of this project will
be applied to develop a comprehensive, science-based control and containment program. The proposed project will also increase
our understanding of the impacts of Burmese pythons on native fauna in DOI and surrounding lands. Dealing with established
exotic species requires that we understand their status and impacts, and how to remove them. A current priority item for determining
status is finding out the extent of invasion by established species. Once we know where the threat is occurring, we need a
better understanding of how the threat may manifest itself ecologically-that is, what are the impacts of invasion? We can
hypothesize that Burmese pythons compete with native snakes or affect populations of prey species; however, knowing with certainty
that pythons eat wood rats, for example, better focuses eradication efforts and spurs action. A study of diet of Burmese pythons
directly addresses this issue. Further, knowing how much pythons eat through a bioenergetic model allows us to forecast with
more certainty predation impacts on native fauna.; abstract: The Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus), a native to Southeast
Asia, can reach a length greater than twenty feet (Wall 1921, Pope 1961). This python is a long lived (15 - 25 years) behavioral,
habitat, and dietary generalist, capable of producing large clutches of eggs (8 - 107) (Lederer 1956, Branch and Erasmus 1984).
Observations of Burmese pythons exist in the United States primarily from locations within Everglades National Park (ENP),
including; along the Main Park Road in the saline and freshwater glades, and mangroves, between Pay-hay-okee and Flamingo,
the greater Long Pine Key area (including Hole-in-the-Donut), and the greater Shark Valley area along the Tamiami Trail (including
L-67 Ext.). The non-native species has also been observed repeatedly on the eastern boundary of ENP, along canal levees, in
the remote mangrove backcountry, and in Big Cypress National Preserve. From 2002 (when the numbers first began to climb) to
2005, 201 pythons were captured and removed or found dead. In 2006-2007 alone, that number more than doubled to 418. Measured
total length for snakes recovered ranged from 0.5 m to 4.5 m including five hatchling-sized animals recovered in the summer
of 2004, and two hatchlings captured in 2005. In 2008, 343 pythons were removed, and so far in 2009, 347 individuals have
been removed. The non-native semi-aquatic pythons's diet in southern Florida includes raccoon, rabbit, muskrat, squirrel,
opossum, cotton rat, black rat, bobcat, house wren, pied-billed grebe, white ibis, limpkin, alligator and endangered Key Largo
wood rat. As Python molurus is known to eat birds, and also known to frequent wading bird colonies in their native range,
the proximity of python sightings to the Paurotis Pond and Tamiami West wood stork rookeries is troubling. The potential for
pythons to eat Mangrove Fox Squirrels and Cape Sable Seaside Sparrows and to compete with Indigos Snakes is also of concern.
Burmese Pythons present a potential threat to successful ecological restoration of the greater Everglades (NRC 2005). Pythons
are now established and breeding in South Florida. Python molurus bivittatus has the potential to occupy the entire footprint
of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP), adversely impacting valued resources across the landscape. Proposed
management and control actions must include research strategies and further evaluation of potential impacts of pythons. The
results of this project will be applied to develop a comprehensive, science-based control and containment program. The proposed
project will also increase our understanding of the impacts of Burmese pythons on native fauna in DOI and surrounding lands.
Dealing with established exotic species requires that we understand their status and impacts, and how to remove them. A current
priority item for determining status is finding out the extent of invasion by established species. Once we know where the
threat is occurring, we need a better understanding of how the threat may manifest itself ecologically-that is, what are the
impacts of invasion? We can hypothesize that Burmese pythons compete with native snakes or affect populations of prey species;
however, knowing with certainty that pythons eat wood rats, for example, better focuses eradication efforts and spurs action.
A study of diet of Burmese pythons directly addresses this issue. Further, knowing how much pythons eat through a bioenergetic
model allows us to forecast with more certainty predation impacts on native fauna.
Citation
- Title Assessing the Impacts of Pythons in the Greater Everglades: Examination of Diet and Thermal Biology of Python molurus bivittatus.
-
- creation Date
2018-05-20T00:31:18.291865
Resource language:
Processing environment:
Back to top:
Metadata data stamp:
2018-08-07T00:12:21Z
Resource Maintenance Information
- maintenance or update frequency:
- notes: This metadata record was generated by an xslt transformation from a dc metadata record; Transform by Stephen M. Richard, based
on a transform by Damian Ulbricht. Run on 2018-08-07T00:12:21Z
Metadata contact
-
pointOfContact
- organisation Name
CINERGI Metadata catalog
-
- Contact information
-
-
- Address
-
- electronic Mail Address cinergi@sdsc.edu
Metadata language
eng
Metadata character set encoding:
utf8
Metadata standard for this record:
ISO 19139 Geographic Information - Metadata - Implementation Specification
standard version:
2007
Metadata record identifier:
urn:dciso:metadataabout:63956e60-6284-4c57-ae1a-c6c8306f9bee
Metadata record format is ISO19139 XML (MD_Metadata)