A recently released photograph shows a Burmese python swallowing a young deer in April 2015. (Southwest Florida Conservation Organization)
Warning: Article contains graphics.
The eyes of the Burmese python are larger than its belly. (Literally) when it decides to attack and swallow the white-tailed deer whole.
A starving 31-pound python caught a 35-pound white-tailed deer with 111 percent of its mass. It’s a shocking sight even in Florida, where pythons are an invasive species.
Authorities found an 11-foot female snake in Collier-Seminole State Park in Naples with a “huge meal” in April 2015, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida said in a blog post Thursday. Authorities recently released details of the findings. which will be published in the journal Quarterly Herpetological Review March 2018 Edition
believed that it was “The largest predator-to-prey ratio” ever recorded in the history of this species of Byrmese python, the conservation group said.
Florida officials published photos of a case involving a deer-eating python in 2015, as the case appeared in a peer-reviewed journal in March. (Southwest Florida Conservation Area)
Wildlife experts say the snake’s healthy appetite is problematic. It proves that pythons may eat white-tailed deer before they are old enough to breed. This could have a negative impact on the deer population. They are the main prey of panthers and other large animals in the area.
“[It’s] “This is another important piece of evidence of the negative impact that the invasive Burmese python has on native wildlife throughout the Greater Everglades ecosystem,” Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said in a statement. “Imagine the potential consequences for the state and the federally protected Florida panther. If the Burmese python negatively affects white-tailed deer populations.”
Officers caught the snake safely. which painfully regurgitated the dead deer into the grass. shortly thereafter The python was killed inhumanely. Wildlife biologists then perform an autopsy on the snake and collect genetic samples.
“Biologists are collecting valuable life history data on the behavior of Burmese pythons in southwest Florida,” the conservation organization said. “This information led to the development of effective python extermination techniques. which combines both hunting efforts and radio-tracking to target and eliminate mating female pythons. and disrupt the spawning cycle.”
2015 photos released this week. Shown Burmese python regurgitating a 35-pound white-tailed deer (Southwest Florida Conservation Area)
The Florida Wildlife Commission has asked the public for help to get rid of the snakes. by encouraging them “Remove and kill pythons from private property whenever possible.”
The South Florida Water Management District created a python eradication program in 2017 to protect the Everglades and remove snakes from public areas. Approximately 158 pythons were euthanized during the project in about two months.
Wildlife officials want to find more efficient ways to get rid of these animals. And they believe research is key.
Florida wildlife officials shared a 2015 photo of an 11-foot Burmese python and the body of a white-tailed deer that preyed on the snake. (Southwest Florida Conservation Area)
Rob Moher, president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, said in a blog post: “If we continue to focus on the breeding of female pythons to eradicate. “The results are twofold.” “We are preventing snake invasions from increasing in numbers and reducing the overall impact on our native wildlife populations.”
“Tens of thousands of invasive Burmese pythons are estimated to be in the Everglades,” the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Officials believe snake numbers have increased in recent years. and become an invasive species After a careless pet owner releases a strange animal into a swamp.
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