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Common Core: RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4

NCSS: Culture • Time, Continuity, and Change • People, Places, and Environments • Science, Technology, and Society • Civic Ideals and Practices

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Courtesy of Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Ian Bartoszek holds a Burmese python.

U.S. NEWS

Now That's a Snake!

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Wildlife researchers in Florida recently caught the biggest python ever recorded in the state. The female Burmese python was nearly 18 feet long and weighed a whopping 215 pounds. It was 30 pounds heavier than the previous record holder.

The snake’s super size isn’t good news, experts say. Native to Asia, Burmese pythons are an invasive species in the Everglades. That is an area of forests, prairies, and wetlands in Florida. The snakes compete with local animals for food. 

Researchers suspect that the first Burmese pythons in the Everglades were pets released into the wild decades ago. Now, experts estimate, hundreds of thousands could be there. The record snake alone had 122 eggs inside—more than double what scientists had expected.

“A Direct Threat”

The snakes are altering the food chain and ecosystem in the Everglades. Burmese pythons have nearly wiped out some native animals, including opossums, raccoons, and bobcats. 

The record snake had recently eaten a white-tailed deer, says Ian Bartoszek, a biologist who helped catch the reptile. White-tailed deer are the main prey of endangered Florida panthers. “This invasive species is a direct threat to our native fauna,” Bartoszek explains. 

Snake Removal by Size

This graph shows the lengths of pythons removed from the Everglades between March 2017 and June 2022. Which size was caught most often?

SOURCE: South Florida Water Management District Python Elimination Program

Length (in feet): 4 or less
Number of Pythons: 1,489

Length (in feet): 4 to 6
Number of Pythons: 867

Length (in feet): 6 to 8
Number of Pythons: 1,697

Length (in feet): 8 to 10
Number of Pythons: 1,055

Length (in feet): 10 to 12
Number of Pythons: 332

Length (in feet): 12 to 14
Number of Pythons: 108

Length (in feet): 14 to 16
Number of Pythons: 50

Length (in feet): 16 to 18
Number of Pythons: 21

SOURCE: South Florida Water Management District Python Elimination Program

Taking Action

People have removed thousands of pythons from the Everglades over the past 20 years. Bartoszek studies the snakes for clues about how to prevent their spread.

He predicts this latest snake won’t hold the record for long. “There’s always a bigger snake,” he says. “We just haven’t found it yet.” 

U.S. News
Environment
ecosystem

(n) all the living and nonliving things that interact with one another in a particular place

 

The desert ecosystem includes plants and animals that don’t need much water, such as cactuses and camels.
fauna

(n) all the animals that live in the wild in a particular area

 

Kumar set out to make a list of all the fauna in his backyard, from the largest birds to the smallest insects.
biologist

(n) a scientist who studies living things

 

Some biologists study many kinds of plant and animal life, but Aimee specializes in one particular type of tropical plant.
invasive species

(n) an animal or a plant that is brought to an area or ends up in an area where it doesn’t normally live and harms local wildlife

 

As an invasive species, Tegu lizards have caused problems in Florida after being brought there as pets and released into the wild.
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