Latest news with #EarlyDetectionandDistributionMappingSystem
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ouch! Snake hunter explains how it feels to be bitten by a Burmese python
The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently caught up with Amy Siewe, famously known as the Python Huntress. Siewe recently gave a lecture at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. We asked her questions about the invasive Burmese Python for this special video series. Siewe became a python hunter in Florida after leaving a successful career in real estate. She was one of the first 100 hunters the state hired to hunt the invasive Burmese python, which is threatening Florida's native wildlife mostly in South Florida, but there are concerns the snake could migrate further north. More: Dancing with a python: Florida 'huntress' used quick moves to snag this squirrely snake Today's question focuses on the python's bite. Siewe has been bitten numerous times and we wanted to know what it feels like. Note: Pythons are not venomous. For the answer, watch the video at the top of this page. In Palm Beach County, 69 Burmese pythons have been captured since 2006, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, or EDDMapS. In addition, four have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported. Countless more of the invasive snakes likely have lurked undetected or unreported. 🐍 Read the full story here: Pythons are adapting, evolving and slithering around these parts of Florida Burmese pythons have been a persistent problem in Florida for years, significantly disrupting the local ecosystem. These invasive snakes have few natural predators, allowing their population to grow rapidly. The issue has become so widespread that people have turned to python hunting as a job. One of the most notable events is the annual Burmese Python Challenge, where participants compete for a grand prize by capturing as many pythons as possible. 🐍 Read the full story here: Python hot spot discovered in Palm Beach County: 5 things to know on invasive snake Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today Note to readers: The News-Press and Naples Daily News recently caught up with Amy Siewe, famously known as the Python Huntress. Siewe gave a lecture at J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. We asked her questions about the invasive Burmese Python for this special video Dancing with a python: Florida 'huntress' used quick moves to snag this squirrely snakeToday's question focuses on snake gender: What is more challenging for a python hunter to catch? A male or female python?For the answer, watch the video at the top of this page. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Snake hunter explains feeling of bite from Florida Burmese python
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Burmese pythons are adapting, evolving and slithering around these parts of Florida
In Palm Beach County, 69 Burmese pythons have been captured since 2006, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, or EDDMapS. In addition, four have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported. Countless more of the invasive snakes likely have lurked undetected or unreported. Just to the north of Palm Beach County, on the Treasure Coast, there have been at least 25 documented sightings of Burmese pythons since 2004.. Where did the Burmese pythons come from? The conventional wisdom is they were pets that escaped or were released. But there's mounting evidence that Everglades pythons have the ability to migrate north and west from South Florida because they're crossbreeding, evolving and adapting to other areas of Florida and the U.S. The question is: Have they crossed the boundaries of their established breeding range, which extends from Lake Okeechobee south to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County? The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Geological Survey would not speculate, and several other biologists, scientists and snake wranglers told TCPalm they just don't know. However, a 2008 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Biological Invasions says pythons are 'now well established in southern Florida and spreading northward.' 'They are good at finding ways of sheltering,' said Ken Gioeli, a Natural Resources and Environment agent at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Fort Pierce. 'Unfortunately, they are adapting.' Pythons have been established in the Everglades since the 1980s, but studies and sightings show the cold-blooded snakes have adapted to cooler temperatures and different habitats. The USGS has confirmed their presence north of the Everglades through DNA identification of their saliva, excrement, shed skin and sloughed scales, said research geneticist Margaret Hunter. Those areas are north of Lake Okeechobee in the Kissimmee River area from Orlando to Okeechobee and southwest of Lake Okeechobee in the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County, Hunter said. One reason they've adapted to higher ground is they've been crossbred with Indian rock pythons that prefer that habitat — likely before they were introduced into the Everglades, according to the USGS. Genetic evidence shows at least 13 out of 400 pythons studied were crossbred. For evidence of how they've adapted to the cold, look no further than a 2010 Arctic blast that blew unusually and prolonged cold weather into South Florida from January to March. Scientists found the pythons that survived have a different gene than the ones that died, Hunter said. 'A substantial portion of the mainland U.S. is potentially vulnerable to this ostensibly tropical invader,' says the 2008 study in Biological Invasions. Climate change could expand their range even more by 2100 to include New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Colorado and parts of Washington state. Coastal and Southern states with python-conducive climates similar to the snakes' native range in Asia — from India to China to Pakistan — include all of Florida and most of California as well as the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana Oklahoma and Texas. "They are going to continue to evolve and adapt," Hunter said. For now, the FWC staff evaluates reports of pythons outside their established breeding range and 'release information regarding new locations of establishment and range changes.' The SFWMD's Python Elimination Program and the FWC's Florida Python Challenge and Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors are among the statewide efforts to remove pythons from the environment, which is essential because they alter food webs. Pythons have killed 85-100% of the Everglades' foxes, bobcats, rabbits, raccoons, possums and white-tailed deer — species that live on the Treasure Coast too. The FWC and SFWMD contract with 100 hunters who track and remove pythons from the Everglades year-round, and the Python Challenge that FWC launched in 2013 became an annual 10-day hunting competition in 2020. Through all the state's efforts, over 23,000 pythons have been removed since 2000, including 917 from the hunt alone, according to FWC. Yet trappers have caught less than 1% of Florida's python population, Hunter said, which is estimated to be in the tens of thousands and growing. State law allows people to kill an unlimited number of pythons using humane and legal methods on 32 FWC-managed lands year-round, and on private land with the owner's permission. 'Every python removed from the Florida landscape is one less invasive snake impacting our native wildlife and ecosystems,' FWC spokesperson Lisa Thompson said. "FWC staff encourages residents to report sightings." That's not happening enough, Gioeli said. 'Every once in a while, there will be a news report of a police officer or animal control officer capturing one, but those reports never make it to the reporting sites,' he said. 'I've tried to bridge that gap to get them to report it. I will work to let people know that the reporting system is out there. I think a lot of people are not aware that there is a reporting system.' Call 911 or Animal Control in your city or county for an immediate threat, then report the exact location to the FWC's Invasive Species Hotline at 888-Ive-Got1 (483-4681). Sending a photo is important because Burmese pythons can be easily confused with ball pythons. 'There is always going to be a constant need for outreach and education' about reporting pythons, Gioeli said, 'because there are so many new people coming to the area.' Tim O'Hara is TCPalm's environment reporter. Contact him at This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Map: Florida Burmese pythons habitats grow beyond Everglades
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Python hot spot discovered in Palm Beach County: 5 things to know on invasive snake
Burmese pythons have been a persistent problem in Florida for years, significantly disrupting the local ecosystem. These invasive snakes have few natural predators, allowing their population to grow rapidly. The issue has become so widespread that people have turned to python hunting as a job. One of the most notable events is the annual Burmese Python Challenge, where participants compete for a grand prize by capturing as many pythons as possible. With the population of these snakes continuing to rise, the need for effective hunting strategies has never been greater. Recently, the University of Florida discovered a new hotspot for python activity in South Florida during a study to pinpoint the best times and seasons for hunting. Here's everything you need to know for capturing these invasive species. More: Python 'hot spot' identified in Palm Beach County by University of Florida study The study found a handful of known hot spots in South Florida where hunters were able to catch a lot of pythons. Those include areas near the edges of Everglades National Park, and south of Biscayne National Park. But hot spots that could provide ample prey for more hunters were discovered at the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County and stormwater treatment area 3-4, which is about 24 miles south of Belle Glade and adjacent to the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area. The best time to hunt pythons is between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. during the wet season from May to October, with the highest catches in August. Since 2006, 69 pythons have been captured in Palm Beach County, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS). Additionally, four pythons have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported. The Burmese python invasion in Florida began with the release of captive snakes, either intentional or accidental. By the mid-1980s, these snakes had likely established a presence in Everglades National Park, according to the 2021 Florida Python Control Plan. Yes, people are paid to hunt pythons. While the standard hourly rate for South Florida Water Management District hunters is $13, an incentive pay of $30 per hour is offered in certain areas, such as the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, to attract hunters to locations with fewer snakes. In stormwater treatment areas, the pay is $18 per hour. Burmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida, are expected to remain a problem for the foreseeable future. Despite increasing efforts, no current methods can fully eradicate the population, but researchers continue to explore new strategies to manage their impact. More: Grand prize winner of 2024 Florida Python Challenge announced The winner of the 2024 Python Challenge was Ronald Kiger of Marion County, who captured 20 Burmese pythons and took home the $10,000 grand prize. Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@ Help support our journalism. Subscribe today This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Burmese pythons: New hunting hotspot found by University of Florida
