Burmese Python Research Paper

The Burmese python is an exotic snake taking over the Florida Everglades. These snakes are posing as a threat to humans and native species. With their population only rising something must be done. Big parts of this issue include the Burmese python having many dangerous features, the change in the local animal populations, and overpopulation.

Burmese pythons have many features that pose as a danger to other animals and people. According to the informative article, “Chemical receptors in their tongues and heat sensors along the jaws compensate for their poor eyesight and allow them to hunt in the dark.” This feature poses as an advantage against other species in the Everglades. “To kill their prey, they first grasp it with their back-curving teeth. When the animal tries to pull away, it only sinks further into the python’s grip.” “Then, the python coils its long and powerful body around the animal, squeezes until the animal dies, and swallows the animal whole.” This could be dangerous towards humans while hunting them.

The Burmese pythons have changed the local animal populations.

Natural predators of the snake haven't been cited in the Everglades. As a result, its wiped out huge numbers of possums, raccoons, bobcats, and many bird species. The newspaper

article states, “Tens of thousands of Burmese pythons are estimated to be living in the Everglades, where they thrive in the warm, humid climate.” The Burmese python is in no threat of dying and will continue to decrease animal population.
Overpopulation was created by humans and now we're trying to end it ourselves.

The text from the information article states, “Unfortunately, many of these owners, upon discovering that they had more snake than they could handle, have resorted to the worst possible solution and released the snakes back into the wild.” This has led to a rising amount of Burmese python snakes taking over the Everglades. “...for 30 days, hundreds of people armed with shotguns, rifles, machetes, handguns, and hooked spears—many who have never even seen a Burmese python—will roam the Florida Everglades in search of the coveted snakes.” We’ve resulted in having a killing spree to fix our own problem of letting this get

out-of-hand.
This Burmese python exposes the problem of letting exotic animals loose without consideration into big parts of our ecosystem. As well as why following the guidelines of our national parks are important. This causes danger, change in population, and overpopulation. However this is resolved, being aware of the overall situation in the first place can save a lot of difficulty.