Too Many Monday Friday Snakes In This Monday Friday... Florida?

The term invasive species refers to any non-native organism - plant, animal, or microorganism - that establishes itself in an ecosystem and has a negative impact on the environment, economy, and/or human health.  Invasive species typically originate from a different geographical region and are introduced to the new area by human activities, whether intentionally or unintentionally.  Their rapid population growth, often due to a lack of natural predators and diseases, can often disrupt the balance of the ecosystem.  Some common impacts on the new region are the decline or extinction of native species, disruptions to ecological processes, reduced biodiversity, and a degradation of natural habitats and ecosystems.  

Some well-known invasive species include zebra mussels, European starlings, Asian carp, cane toads, and purple loosestrife.  Here in the South, we are very familiar with the kudzu, which was originally introduced to the United States in 1876 from Japan and southeast China.  It was touted as an ornamental plant because of its sweet-smelling blooms and sturdy vines.  Now nicknamed "the vine that ate the South," kudzu is a climbing perennial vine that terrorizes native plants and trees, crowding them out and eventually killing them.

The invasive species of snake, the Burmese python, was brought to the US from Asia by snake enthusiasts, who sold them to people as pets.  Most experts believe that the pythons established a reproducing population in the Everglade National Park sometime after Hurricane Andrew - a category 5 storm that devastated Florida in August of 1992.  During this storm, a python breeding facility was destroyed, releasing countless snakes into the nearby swamps.  The United States Geological Survey (USGS) found that the Burmese python population in Florida has expanded from a small area near Everglades National Park to the bottom third of the Sunshine State.  It is estimated that the Burmese python population was at 2,940 snakes in 2020, but there are speculations that the actual number is much higher than that.  

Burmese pythons, which can weigh up to 200 points and can grow up to 15 feet in length, joined the ranks of the top predators in Florida, being known as an "apex predator."  According to Dr. Rees, a naturalist and conservation scientist, animals such as opossums, raccoons, foxes, and rabbits are being wiped out in droves by the pythons.  In fact, research studies have discovered that the activities of the Burmese python have become an existential threat to nearly 76 species of animals.

Because female pythons can lay 50-100 eggs per year, and because the snakes have no natural predator in the region, their threat continues to escalate.  Dr. Daniel Simberloff, a ecology and evolutionary biology professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the editor-in-chief of Biological Invasions, succinctly described the Burmese python's brutal efficiency in South Florida: "The habitat of the Everglades is perfect. It's warm; [pythons] do really well in muddy, marshy habitats... and of course, there's this huge food base that was totally unadapted to deal with them.  There was nothing to keep them from doing very well."  

Environmental experts have suggested that this invasion may be impossible to completely contain.  However, measures are being put in place to minimize their devastation and spread into other states.  For example, in 2017, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District introduced the Python Elimination Program, which hires people to hunt the swamps for snakes.  These "python removal agents" are generally paid minimum wage, plus additional fees per foot of snake - sometimes up to hundred of dollars per snake!  State and federal agencies have also hosted occasional competitive "python challenges," complete with cash prizes.  In the 2022 challenge, 997 people participated and 231 pythons were captured during the 10-day competition.  The longest python captured last year was 11 feet 0.24 inches long, captured by Dustin Crum.  Matthew Concepcion won the ultimate prize for catching 28 pythons.