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The Hunt for Pythons

Spanish Translation

Tim Padgett/Everglades National Park

An exploding population of Southeast Asian snakes is threatening the wildlife of Florida's Everglades. Efforts are under way to control the python population.

Ron Bergeron, Shawn Heflick and Greg Graziani are on the lookout for pythons. The large snakes are native to Southeast Asia. But as many as 150,000 of the reptiles are estimated to be crawling through Everglades National Park and surrounding areas. Bergeron is a commissioner for Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC). Heflick and Graziani are herpetologists, reptile experts. They are part of an effort to hunt down the snakes before the reptiles wipe out endangered species native to the region, like wood storks and white-tailed deer. "These monsters are challenging the top of the food chain out here," says Bergeron, "and it's not natural."

Florida has stepped up efforts to control pythons. On July 17, the FWC issued the first snake-hunting permits for state lands to reptile experts. As of August 29, licensed hunters were allowed to capture the snakes too.

Don't Let It Loose!

Burmese pythons are popular pets in the U.S. Last year, sales of pythons reached $10 million in Florida. But they can be difficult pets. They grow rapidly and have big appetites. Within a year, a 20-inch hatchling, or baby, will grow into an eight-foot-long snake. An adult Burmese python can be more than 20 feet long and can weigh almost 200 pounds.

Too often, python owners discover that they cannot care for the big snakes. So they dump them in the wild.

The Perfect Habitat

The Everglades offer a perfect habitat for Burmese pythons. The serpents have no natural predator. They prey on mammals, birds and other reptiles. A few years ago, a 13-foot python ate a six-foot alligator. Most alarming for officials, pythons are reproducing in the Everglades and at a fast rate. Female pythons can lay as many as 100 eggs at a time.

The FWC says it is committed to stopping the python invasion. As of August 21, snake hunters had killed 14 Burmese pythons. The snakes are now the prey.

Power Words

herpetologist (her-peh-tol-eh-jist) noun: a scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians

native (nay-tiv) noun: an animal or plant that occurs naturally in a place

predator (pred-eh-tor) noun: an animal that hunts, or preys on, others

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