Good news, anyone who's terrified of a) snakes or b) Florida! You now have basically absolutely no reason to visit the Sunshine State, or perhaps the soon-to-be Python State. As the Sun-Sentinel reports, the population of invasive Burmese pythons has gone from a few in the very southern tip of the Everglades National Park to "an invasion that envelops the southern third of Florida," all in the span of little more than 20 years. This is due to the species' ability to be practically invisible to both its hunters and prey and to reproduce really, really effectively. The new data are based on a USGS study that shows the reptiles are moving rapidly north, their population growth almost unfettered and likely to be helped by climate change—and their ability to adapt to the cold.
The paper puts it in stark terms: the snakes "represent one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe." For now, the snakes are mostly in the wilds of Florida: Per lead author Jackie Guzy of the USGS, "while Burmese pythons may expand into urban areas, or occur in proximity to the urban interface, research thus far indicates they tend to avoid highly urban areas. This may be because urban areas have expansive development and less favorable habitat, which may result in higher rates of detection and removal." Notably, they do thrive in canals. She adds: “Over the past two decades we have extensively explored methods to capture and remove pythons. But so far, there are no easy solutions." (They're apparently in New York, too.)
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