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Jaden Burner, Jason Tran, Will Parnell

AP Environmental Science

Mrs. Norris

26 May 2017

The Pervasion and Effect of the Burmese Python in the Everglades

Introduction

The Burmese python is a subspecies of the Indian Python, native to parts of southeastern

Asia. Amongst the five largest species of snakes in the world according to the Reptilian

Database, one can identify the most frequent variation of the Burmese python by its dark colored

skin, accentuated by brown blotches with a black border along its back. Burmese pythons, a

generalist species, were introduced into the wilderness in South Florida in the mid 1980s and

have now become associated with the Everglades National Park (Snow et al. 2007). Within the

past few decades, experts have observed the proliferation and subsequent alarming effects the

Burmese python brought about. Python densities in the Everglades National Park are unknown,

but in 2007 the population was conservatively estimated to be larger than 30,000 using a density

estimate of the species in India (Snow et al. 2007). Known to predate on a number of native

species, the Burmese python has established itself as a predator with no competition, and has

taken over the ecosystem of the Everglades National Park for itself. The Burmese python has

been classified as an invasive species within the Everglades.

Effect on Mammal Population

With the proliferation of the Burmese python, one saw drastic changes within the

Everglades National park. The Burmese python has been identified as the primary cause of the

dramatic declines of what were previously abundant mammals within the Everglades (Dorcas et
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al. 2013). One 2013 study, conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, looked into the

effect that the proliferation of the Burmese python has had on the Everglades. Researchers

looked into the number of recorded observations of many mammals within the Everglades.

According to a study conducted by herpetologists, the timing of python proliferation is correlated

with declines in the mammal population. Road surveys, before the year 2000, documented

frequent sightings of mammal populations. However, road surveys from the years 2003 - 2011

documented insane drops in the number of mammals sightings when compared to road surveys

from the years 1996-1997. There was a failure to detect a single rabbit in the years 2003 - 2011,

and the frequency of racoon observations decreased by 99.3%. There were also decreases of

98.9% of observations of possums, as well as an 87.5% decrease in bobcat observations. These

mammals were most commonly found in areas outside of the python’s introduced range at the

time of collection (Dorcas et al. 2013). According to a separate study, conducted by

herpetologists Reed and Rodda, these mammals have been documented as part of the diet of

Burmese pythons found within the Everglades National Park (Reed and Rodda).

Data Analysis

In order to conduct a data analysis, data was used from the Everglades National Park and

Corbett Wildlife Management Area collected by the Biology Department of Palm Beach Atlantic

University and released by the Florida Academy of Sciences. This data detailed the number of

mammals and Burmese pythons sampled by roadside counts in both areas. The kilometers

traveled was also recorded each time data collection was conducted (Holbrook and Chesnes

2011). .
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Sampled Mammals in the Everglades National Park

Sampled Mammals in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area

From these data points one can calculate the average number of mammals encountered

per kilometer on the roadside of both areas. In sampling mammals in the Everglades a total of

3,090.1 kilometers were travelled and surveyed, whereas in sampling mammals in the Corbett

Wildlife Management Area a total of 736.4 kilometers were travelled and surveyed. With 40

mammals identified in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, and 9 mammals identified in the

Everglades National Park, one would encounter an average of approximately 0.0543 mammals

per kilometer in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area, whereas one would encounter an

average of approximately 0.0029 mammals per kilometer in the Everglades National Park. In

comparing these two numbers, one can come to the conclusion that one would encounter

approximately 19 times more mammals in the Corbett Wildlife Management Area in comparison

to the Everglades National Park. This data analysis exhibits the deterioration of biodiversity
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within the Everglades National Park,and shows the biodiversity of the Corbett Wildlife

Management Area, an area in which the influence of the Burmese python has not reached.

Habitat of Burmese python

With the establishment of the Burmese python within the Everglades National Park, it is

important to identify its habitat in order to gather information on habitat suitable for its

expansion within the Everglades National Park, as well as provide support for aspects of

Everglades restoration plans, which may limit the destruction of the Burmese python.

Researchers Theresa Walters, Frank Mazzotti, and Carl Fitz conducted a study on the habitat

selection of the Burmese python within the Everglades National Park. To do this, they used radio

telemetry and radio transmitters. Between September 2006 and December 2009, 16 individual

Burmese pythons were released into the Everglades National Park. Each python was surgically

implanted with two radio transmitters and were all reproductively mature. It was found that

Burmese pythons, while generalist species, did not choose their habitats randomly, and showed

clear tendencies to settle in areas with particular characteristics. The researchers found that the

Burmese python showed the tendency to settle in broad-leafed areas. They were most often

found in substantial canopy overstory without deep story. It was also found that they had an

avoidance of open water and habitats containing deep water (Walters et al. 2016). An

explanation for this may be that they avoided habitats with water depth or large change in water

depth in order to decrease the likelihood of their nest being flooded away. Using this

information, one solution to the Burmese python phenomena may be to station Burmese python

hunters in these areas, or place traps for the python in these areas.

Solutions
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One solution conducted was the 2013 Burmese Python Challenge. What the Burmese

Python Challenge is is a competition with rewards given out to anyone who contributes to

hunting down Burmese pythons and removing them from the Everglades. Another method

employed to remove the Burmese Python was to hire professional Burmese Python hunters,

whose job is to search for and remove Burmese pythons in the Everglades. However, even

through these actions, experts have universally come to the conclusion that the complete removal

of the invasive species from the Everglades is likely impossible. Hunting Burmese pythons

comes with a high level of variance; though a hunter may be aware of the habits of a Burmese

python, it does not necessarily guarantee an encounter (Mazzoti 2016).

Conclusion

The Burmese python has had drastic implications upon the Everglades National Park, to

the level that the effects may be irreversible, despite efforts to remove the Burmese Python from

the Everglades. Disruptive to the ecosystem of the Everglades National Park, the Burmese

python has caused drastic drops in populations of prey, with no other animal to contest it. Even

the largest native snakes to the Florida Everglades, such as eastern indigo snake and the eastern

diamondback rattlesnake, are dwarfed by immature pythons (McCleery et al. 2017). The

Burmese python constitutes a threat that demands attention and greater efforts to control the

invasive species. While at this stage total eradication is no longer possible, more research needs

to be invested towards methods of remediation. To manage the Burmese python, and all invasive

species, education is a must in order to aid towards remediation, as well as to prevent future

establishments of additional detrimental species in the Everglades.

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Works Cited

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