Holy Herpetology! Burmese Python Found With Record 87 Eggs
By Megan
Gannon, News Editor | LiveScience.com – 4
hrs agoResearchers prepare to examine the insides of a 17-foot-7-inch Burmese python found in Florida's Everglades. The lengthy python, weighing some 164 pounds, was carrying 87 eggs in its oviducts, they found. Photo
A double record-setting Burmese python has been found in the
Florida Everglades.
At 17 feet, 7 inches (5.3 meters) in length, it is the largest snake of its
kind found in the state and it was carrying a record 87 eggs. Scientists say the
finding highlights how dangerously comfortable the invasive species has become
in its new home."This thing is monstrous, it's about a foot wide," said Kenneth Krysko, of the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. "It means these snakes are surviving a long time in the wild, there's nothing stopping them and the native wildlife are in trouble."
The giant female python was discovered in
the Everglades National Park and had been stored since May in a freezer at the
museum; on Friday, researchers at the museum studied its internal anatomy,
making the wild discovery.
Florida is the world capital for invasive reptiles and amphibians, and the
Burmese python, native to Southeast Asia, is one of the state's most prominent
new residents. The snake was introduced to Florida by the exotic pet trade three
decades ago and is now one of the region's deadliest and most competitive
predators. [See Photos of Record Burmese Python]
"They were here 25 years ago, but in very
low numbers and it was difficult to find one because of their cryptic behavior,"
Krysko said in a statement from the University of Florida. "Now, you can go out
to the Everglades nearly any day of the week and find a Burmese python. We've
found 14 in a single day."
Officials worry that the snakes pose a
threat to humans, as well as to native, endangered species, which turn up in the
pythons' stomachs. This record-breaking, 164.5-pound (75-kg) specimen found in
Everglades National Park had feathers in its belly that will be identified by
museum ornithologists, the researchers said. Research published this year
suggested the pythons are not only eating the Everglades' birds but they're also
snatching, and likely swallowing whole birds' eggs.
Population estimates for the Burmese python
in Florida range from the thousands to hundreds of thousands, the researchers
said. Studying this massive female specimen with dozens of babies on board could
help scientists understand how to curb the spread of the python and other
invasive animals.
"By learning what this animal has been
eating and its reproductive status, it will hopefully give us insight into how
to potentially manage other wild Burmese pythons in the future," Krysko
said.
Previous state records for Burmese pythons
found in the wild were 16.8 feet (5.1 meters) long and 85 eggs, the researchers
said.
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