Latest news with #Loki
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Florida bobcat bites the head off of 13-foot Burmese python in the Everglades
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A Florida bobcat has managed to take down a Burmese python in what wildlife biologists are calling a win for native Everglades predators. Scientists are still investigating how and when local predators face off against the invasive snakes, but the finding hints that native species are learning to take advantage of the competition as a potential food source. The snake's remains were found near the city of Naples in December 2022 by wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Since 2013, he and his colleagues have used radio trackers to keep tabs on male Burmese pythons, and during breeding season, these male "scout" snakes lead researchers to fertile female snakes and their eggs. From there, researchers remove and euthanize the reptiles in an attempt to cull the invasive population. On that chilly December day, Bartoszek's team was tracking Loki, a 13 foot (4 meters) long, 52 pound (23.5 kilogram) scout snake. They expected to find Loki holed up with a female python. Instead, they found his freshly slain body, with the head and neck gnawed off and buried beneath pine needles nearby. "It was a bit sad and a bit exciting at the same time," said Bartoszek, who had tracked Loki through six breeding seasons. "We sort of treated it as a bit of a CSI crime scene." The team immediately started to look for clues as to what had killed the massive snake. The way Loki's neck had been chewed and his head buried suggested a large cat — either a bobcat or a Florida panther — as the culprit. Bartoszek contacted wild cat expert David Shindle, of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who set up a trail cam near the kill site in case the cat came back for its buried meal. The next morning, it did — and its behavior was caught on video. "All of a sudden, out of the background, an adult bobcat comes walking in across a log," Bartoszek described. "You could see it sort of sniffing the air, probably picking up on our scent, seeing what information it was clueing-in to, and basically returning to the kill site." Burmese pythons have been known to eat bobcats, but Bartoszek suspects this particular bobcat seized an opportunity to pick off Loki while he was incapacitated. A cold snap had hit southern Florida a few days before the scientists found the snake's remains. And since male snakes are usually out and about looking for females during breeding season, the chilly weather may have left the cold-blooded Loki stunned and sluggish, far from his usual warm burrow and unable to fight off the predator. Working on the front lines of these wildlife studies offers the chance to observe new and interesting predator-prey interactions, Bartoszek told Live Science. "It felt like 'score one for the home team,' where our native animals are fighting back," he said. "That's a good sign." These kinds of predation events are likely becoming more common in the Everglades, Bartoszek said. His team found the remains of a different scout snake after another cold snap earlier this season, this one likely killed by a black bear. RELATED STORIES —Why do cats bring home dead animals? —'An up-tempo version of Darwinian evolution': How a mega freeze in Florida may have caused Burmese pythons to evolve at a blindingly fast speed —'Truly primal': Watch Burmese python swallow deer whole in Florida Everglades by stretching its mouth to the absolute limit Researchers are still collecting evidence and looking for trends in how predators like bobcats and bears might be turning the tables on pythons. "There's a bit of a pattern emerging that — and you'd expect as much — over time, the ecosystem is rebalancing itself. It's fighting back," Bartoszek said. "These native predators are recognizing Burmese pythons as a new food source and are able to take advantage of some of their vulnerabilities."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Experts stunned by discovery partially buried deep in the Florida Everglades: 'There's only two things that will do that'
Wildlife officials in Collier County have been investigating a mysterious death in the Everglades, and they now say their findings are good news when it comes to managing invasive species. Back in December, biologists were tracking pythons near Naples, in pursuit of a 13-foot-long, 52-pound male Burmese python named Loki. Loki was what the team called a "scout snake," fitted with a transmitter for monitoring. Expecting to find Loki "shacked up with a big fertile female during breeding season," the team intended to "remove and euthanize" female snakes and their egg follicles to keep the invasive snake population under control. What they found was something out of a police procedural, per WBBH. "Very quickly we figured out he's dead, and it turned into a bit of a crime scene to some degree — CSI crime scene, wildlife," quipped biologist Ian Bartoszek. Loki was found with his "head and neck gnawed off" and his "body partially buried," an animal behavior wildlife experts call "caching" — hiding and storing a food source for ongoing use. Bartoszek quickly put two and two together after assessing the scene. "There's only two things that will do that, to my knowledge — a bobcat and a panther," WFLA quoted him as saying. In conjunction with the United States Fish & Wildlife Service, the team placed trail cameras at the site, and soon enough, the culprit — a bobcat — returned to the scene of the crime. According to Bartoszek, the whodunit amounted to a "win" in terms of conservation. As the name suggests, invasive species — whether flora or fauna — throw ecosystems out of whack, to the detriment of native plants and animals. Non-native organisms are not invasive by default; invasive species adapt readily to a new environment, reproduce quickly, and "outcompete" their native neighbors. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "A 25-pound cat killed and cached a 52-pound python? That's a win for the home team," Bartoszek began. "We all tend to like animals that punch above their weight class." "Here was a native animal pushing back against an invasive apex predator," he added. "The Everglades is fighting back. That gives me hope." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bobcat kills huge Burmese python in Everglades. What other Florida animals hunt pythons?
Only about twice the size of domestic cats, Florida's bobcats may be small in size, but they're big in moxie. Case in point: A bobcat appears to have killed a massive, 13-foot Burmese python in the Everglades recently and made a meal of it. The 52-pound male python was a Conservancy of Southwest Florida scout snake nicknamed Loki. Scout snakes have implanted transmitters that are tracked and used to lure breeding females. The invasive snake was found in a pile of debris, apparently mauled, with its head smashed and slashed, and partially buried for later feeding. Researchers set up a camera at the site, which captured the bobcat returning to the cache hours later to feed on the dead python. It was the first time a bobcat has been documented killing and eating a python in Florida. Here's what to know about native wildlife that kills and eats invasive Burmese pythons in Florida: Conservancy of Southwest Florida scout snake Loki was found dead in a pile of debris, apparently mauled by a bobcat, with its head smashed and slashed, and partially buried for later feeding. The bobcat returned hours later to feed on the snake's carcass. In June of 2021, a bobcat feasted on Burmese python eggs in the Big Cypress Preserve. Yes. Alligators in Florida eat Burmese pythons. In a 2023 USGS study, baby Burmese pythons were outfitted with radio transmitters. Five of the pythons were eaten by alligators. On Thanksgiving Day in 2024, a large alligator, nicknamed "Godzilla," was caught on video hauling a massive Burmese python through the water in the Everglades. In 2019, a massive alligator was captured on video with a Burmese python in its jaws and slinging the large snake back and forth. In 2023, a Florida woman captured video of a 10-foot alligator in the Everglades eating a large Burmese python. Snakes kill and eat juvenile Burmese pythons. For example, in May of 2021, a Florida cottonmouth was confirmed to have eaten a juvenile Burmese python. The python's implanted transmitter led wildlife biologists to the cottonmouth in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Radiography confirmed the cottonmouth consumed the Burmese python. A Florida kingsnake made a meal of a tracked, one-month-old Burmese python as documented in September of 2022. Researchers followed the python's transmitter signal and found a kingsnake with a food bulge where the signal was strongest. They tracked the kingsnake until it passed the transmitter. Researchers suspect a black bear of killing a Burmese python. "The ground was completely trampled, and it smelled like a bear and the whole scene looked like a bear," wildlife biologist and python expert Ian Bartoszek said. "But was the snake dead and the bear scavenged it or did the bear predate the python." Researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey documented a non-fatal investigative or defensive black bear attack on a Burmese python. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, studies show that smaller Burmese python hatchlings and juveniles are on the menu for a variety of native Florida bird species. Dates for the 2025 Florida Python Challenge — a ten-day event to remove invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida — are set. This year's hunt starts at 12:01 a.m. July 11 and ends at 5 p.m. July 20, Florida Fish and Wildlife announced May 15. To register as a novice or professional, potential participants must first read the rules and take a free, required online training and pass a quiz with at least 85%. Those under 18 must have a parent or guardian complete their registration and be accompanied by a registered adult during the competition. The cost to register is $25 and not refundable. Participants can win money prizes in several categories, including a $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize. While the use of firearms is prohibited in the Florida Python Challenge, you can shoot the invasive snakes on your property or someone else's property with permission, provided you follow the law and local regulations. Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia. Many of the invasive snakes came to the U.S. because of their popularity in the pet trade, according to USGS. The snakes were then intentionally or accidentally released in south Florida. The invasive snakes are distributed across more than a thousand square miles in the Everglades and southern Florida Burmese pythons have been found across the state and are slithering north. They may even reach Georgia. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, Burmese pythons are established in Florida, from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County west to Collier County, including: Everglades National Park Biscayne National Park Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area Big Cypress National Preserve Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Picayune Strand State Forest Collier-Seminole State Park Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Any pythons found outside of those areas are likely escaped or released captive animals. However, "due to the cryptic nature of pythons, it can take a while to gather enough evidence to confirm new areas of establishment," FWC said. It's hard to get an exact count, given the Burmese python's ability to live in various South Florida environments and the difficulty accessing some areas. "Burmese pythons are hard to find due to their cryptic coloration and secretive behaviors, and their low detection probability is a major challenge to effective python control and research," according to Florida Fish and Wildlife. Conservative estimates by the USGS put the Burmese python population in the Florida Everglades region in the tens of thousands. Support local journalism by subscribing to a Florida news organization. This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Burmese python killed by bobcat in Florida. What else preys on pythons
Metro
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
British legend new frontrunner to play Voldemort after Harry Potter cast updates
A new name has leapt to the front of the race to predict who will play Voldemort in the Harry Potter adaptation for TV. After HBO this week anointed three young actors as Harry, Hermione and Ron for a new generation, speculation has ramped up for who will play the trio's arch nemesis. Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout have been cast in the lead roles to follow in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, after over 30,000 young hopefuls threw their name into the sorting hat at the casting director's office. The production had already shared a swathe of casting announcements, with John Lithgow set to play headmaster Albus Dumbledore, I May Destroy You star Paapa Essiedu taking on Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid. The Potterheads are now waiting for the rest of the cast to be announced, with our new Voldemort still missing from the roster. The leading contender for the spot is said to be British actor Tom Hiddleston. No stranger to playing a baddie, Hiddleston is probably best known as Marvel's impish Loki. The 44-year-old is currently leading early predictions, according to Online Betting Guide, who have put him at 1/1 odds. He's followed by Peaky Blinders Cillian Murphy at 6/4, who previously had something of an edge after the original Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes gave Murphy his blessing. Fiennes was asked to address weeks of speculation Murphy would take over the role during an interview on Watch What Happens Live. Who do you think would be the best Voldemort? He said: 'Cillian is a fantastic actor. That's a wonderful suggestion. I would be all in favor of Cillian. Yeah.' Following Hiddleston and Murphy in the bookies' reckoning is another Marvel star, with Paul Bettany at 3/1. Then in fourth is yet another Marvel alum – maybe willingness to be in one franchise means you're more likely to do it again – with Benedict Cumberbatch at 6/1. This comes after HBO finally shed light on how much the TV adaptation of JK Rowling's smash books is going to cost, after astronomical figures had been bandied about. Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her take… Tom Hiddleston's tenure as Loki in the Marvel franchise is riddled (get it) with moments proving he has a strong Voldemort performance in him. Think back to when he went full panto villain at Comic-Con in 2013, emerging from the dark with the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. He's certainly capable of playing a charismatic villain – but there's the risk his charm may soften Voldemort's edges. After all, who didn't end up secretly loving Loki, even before we were meant to? We want someone who's truly terrifying to play Voldemort. Hairs upright on the back of your neck type of thing. Perhaps an actor like Idris Elba would be a better fit, admittedly not currently in the conversation, but with a commanding presence and The Wire's Stringer Bell as proof he knows how to play a complicated villain. The budget reported so far would make the HBO show the most expensive ever to be made, trouncing Prime Video's $465 million (£399 million) price tag for Rings of Power. More Trending The Express reported each episode would cost £75 million to make, boosting the UK economy by billions. However, a source close to the production has now confirmed to Metro that the reported figure is inaccurate. Instead, the production costs will be on a par with Game of Thrones' budget. The eighth season of the show was its most expensive, costing roughly $15 million (almost £12 million at the time) per episode. View More » The Harry Potter TV show will stream exclusively on Max in 2026. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Harry Potter fans annoyed about casting detail no one's got right in 25 years MORE: Here's why fans think Arabella Stanton as new Hermione is 'perfect casting' MORE: The new Harry Potter child stars have confirmed my worst fears
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Chris Hemsworth bids emotional farewell to Thor after 15 years; sparks rumours of the God of Thunder's DEATH in 'Avengers: Doomsday'
Chris Hemsworth has officially marked what may be the beginning of the end for his iconic portrayal of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In an emotional video posted to his YouTube channel, the actor reflected on his 15-year journey as the God of Thunder and thanked fans for their unwavering support. Sharing the video, the actor penned a note that read, 'Playing Thor has been one of the greatest honours of my life. For the last 15 years I've held Mjolnir and then Stormbreaker as the God of Thunder, but what made it truly special… was sharing it with all of you. Your passion, your cheers, and your love for this character have meant everything to me. Thank you for making my journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe unforgettable. Next up, Doomsday!' Thank You! The Legacy of Thor Although the video was originally released two years ago as part of the Thor: Love and Thunder promotion, its release has sparked renewed chatter and speculation among fans that Thor's story may be nearing a dramatic end in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. Rumours swirling online suggest that Avengers: Doomsday will be a high-stakes entry into the MCU, with many beloved heroes reportedly set to meet their end in what insiders are calling a 'no-resurrection' storyline. One fan speculated, 'They definitely just filmed some kind of Thor death scene,' while another predicted, 'Doomsday ends with Thor's death and Doom winning… Thor dies trying to save Loki .' Avengers: Doomsday, currently filming in the UK under the direction of Joe and Anthony Russo, is expected to be a pivotal instalment in Marvel's multiverse saga. Both Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are confirmed to reprise their roles as Thor and Loki. Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the hit series Loki and Avengers: Endgame, many are speculating that the narrative will reportedly centre around Robert Downey Jr's villainous character Doctor Doom racing to reach Loki who chose to sacrifice himself to create a new kind of existence that frees the universe from the Sacred Timeline. Meanwhile, discussions about Thor 5 are also gaining momentum. Director George Miller, of Furiosa fame is said to be in early talks to helm the project, having been introduced to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige through Hemsworth himself. The next solo Thor film, if greenlit, is expected to move away from the comedic tone of Love and Thunder, with a darker storyline and no return for the young girl character introduced in the last film. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
