What I was afraid of, some pythons can tolerate cold temperatures

[FrommerStop]

A trace of DNA from pythons native to north India has been found in Florida pythons.

Are Florida’s Invasive Pythons Adapting to Survive Colder Temperatures?

https://www.fieldandstream.com/conservation/florida-pythons-adapting-to-survive-colder-weather/

A recent study suggests that some of Florida's "Burmese pythons" have traces of Indian python DNA that might make them better suited to survive cold snaps and spread north



By Steven Hill | Published Jul 17, 2023 4:00 PM EDT



Florida’s python invasion may be even tougher to control than previously thought, according to findings outlined in a recent report from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) that rounds up everything scientists have learned about the non-native species that is overrunning the delicate Everglades ecosystem.



Among the key points in “Burmese pythons in Florida: A synthesis of biology, impacts, and management tools” is the revelation that some Burmese pythons may be better at surviving cold temperatures than commonly thought.







Since pythons were first discovered in Florida in the 1970s, they have multiplied and spread rapidly throughout the southern part of the state, severely reducing mammal populations in the Everglades National Park. A 2012 study found that raccoon populations dropped 99.3 percent, opossums 98.9 percent, and bobcats 87.5 percent since 1997. Rabbits and foxes were effectively wiped out.



Lacking any natural predators in North America, the southeast Asian native’s spread has been checked only by human predation and by the snake’s intolerance of cold temperatures. Records from the pet trade, thought to be the source of the introduction, indicate that most of the pythons imported in the 1970s came from Vietnam and Thailand. But genetic sampling of pythons captured in the Everglades has found traces of Indian python DNA in a small percentage of the Florida snakes.



In parts of northern India, where temperatures are much colder than in Vietnam and Thailand, studies have shown that the snakes use underground refuges such as porcupine burrows to ride out the winter. A 2010 study found that some pythons in south Florida also used underground refuges to survive an unusually harsh cold snap that gripped the state that year. Those survivors have passed on their DNA to subsequent generations of Florida snakes.



Ian Bartoszek, a biologist and python expert at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, recently told the Fort Myers News-Press that he is concerned that some invasive pythons may have genetic traits that make it easier for them to adapt to conditions in Florida, including a higher tolerance for cold weather that might make it possible for the snakes to spread north.

“Some are better at hiding and getting down in burrows and can wait out cold events, they’re adapting to South Florida’s habitats, and the burrows may afford them some level of protection,” Bartoszek said. “I think now that they’re here in the wild there are selection events that are flipping the switches in those species.”



According to the study, eradication of Florida’s notorious problem snakes is likely impossible. But the authors seem hopeful that their findings will fill in key knowledge gaps that could ultimately “improve future research and decision making for python control.”

 

[Raven]

Make it a state holiday to light fire to the glades and get every man available on the edges with shotguns. That ought to put a dent in the snake population. Fire in the glades was once a more common natural occurrence

 

[FrommerStop]

Put a higher bounty and no rules as to how the snakes are to be killed. Also prohibit breeding of them. Burning and trained dogs are useful for hunting snakes.

 

[5lima30ret]

Make it a state holiday to light fire to the glades and get every man available on the edges with shotguns. That ought to put a dent in the snake population. Fire in the glades was once a more common natural occurrence

They still do it on the sugar cane fields around Okeechobee!

 

[FrommerStop]

How conan dealt with snakes

 

[BluesBrother]

A trace of DNA from pythons native to north India has been found in Florida pythons.

Man, I hate to hear this. If I lived near the Glades I would be there all day every day.

 

[FLT]

I killed one on the south prong of the st Sebastian river about 20 years ago. That’s in Indian River county, and is in the middle of the state. I was out in my grove spraying pepper trees ( also an invasive species) and spotted it sunning its self .

 

[Welldoya]

With these snakes depleting all the native wildlife, seems like the hunters should be able to use all methods within reason to kill them.
Seems like there would be a big market for their skins from boot makers.

 

[Bucklowery]

Typical state officials talking out of both sides of their mouth. The so bad and terrible and devastating everything but let’s not do anything to get rid of them. But let’s spend millions a year to try and save some species that is dying anyway

Thanks

Buck

 

[Southalabama]

Make it a state holiday to light fire to the glades and get every man available on the edges with shotguns. That ought to put a dent in the snake population. Fire in the glades was once a more common natural occurrence

I’ve read about snake drives in England to rid the adder. Also seen Amish coyote drives that proved effective.

They will piddle around and study meanwhile the snakes going to keep multiplying.

 

[Jeff C]

Looked up legal ways to kill invasive snakes and there are 2 requirements-
1. Snake must lose consciousness immediately and the brain must be destroyed. Recommended way to destroy the brain is by inserting a needle or rod into the brain.

Guess the state does not think shooting a snake in the head would work....

 

[Jeff C]

Also looked up shooting as a humane way to euthanize snakes...

A properly placed gunshot can cause immediate insensibility and a humane death. Under some conditions, a gunshot may be the only practical method of euthanasia. Shooting should only be performed by highly skilled personnel trained in the use of firearms and only in jurisdictions that allow for legal firearm use. The safety of personnel, the public, and other animals that are nearby should be considered. The procedure should be performed outdoors and in areas where public access is restricted. In applying gunshot to the head as a method of euthanasia for captive animals, the firearm should be aimed so that the projectile enters the brain, causing instant loss of consciousness.
This must take into account differences in brain position and skull conformation between species, as well as the energy requirement for penetration of the skull and sinus. Accurate targeting for a gunshot to the head in various species has been described. For wildlife and other freely roaming animals, the preferred target area should be the head. It may, however, not be possible or appropriate to target the head when killing is attempted from large distances (missed shots may result in jaw fractures or other nonfatal injuries) or when diagnostic samples of brain tissue are needed for diagnosis of diseases (eg, rabies, chronic wasting disease) important to public health. The appropriate firearm should be selected for the situation, with the goal being penetration and destruction of brain tissue without emergence from the contralateral side of the head. A gunshot to the heart or neck does not immediately render animals unconscious, but may be required when it is not possible to meet the POE’s definition of euthanasia.

I am not sure from what I saw that shooting pythons in the wild is legal.

 

[FLT]

So , a load of 12 gauge high brass number fours to the head wouldn’t qualify? Most things that are on the receiving end of that load die suddenly , if not instantly.

 

[FrommerStop]

Snake hunters from India