jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 8, 2019 5:00:46 GMT -5
Not my photo. But thought the article may appeal to our dear member herpetologists.  A New Record and The Research Continues This female was over 17 feet long, weighed 140 pounds, and contained 73 developing eggs. She is the largest python ever removed from Big Cypress National Preserve-- and she was caught because of research and a new approach to finding pythons. Using male pythons with radio transmitters allows the team to track the male to locate breeding females. The team not only removes the invasive snakes, but collects data for research, develop new removal tools, and learn how the pythons are using the Preserve. The team tracked one of the sentinel males with the transmitter and found this massive female nearby. All of the python work at Big Cypress is focused on controlling this invasive species, which poses significant threats to native wildlife. The Resource Management staff would like to thank all of the Preseve divisions that have supported the python program. Their support, along with the tireless efforts of our partners at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), have allowed us to locate and remove several breeding female pythons over the past few months. Thanks everyone! Remember that the EDDMapS allows you to enter data where you see pythons in Big Cypress. Your information will be used in fighting this invasive species. |
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Post by Peruano on Apr 8, 2019 6:45:16 GMT -5
I have known one of those snake catchers since he was a baby (parents were friends and colleagues). Degree in biology, years in Peace Corps - good experience for preparing for this job which probably does not pay well. It's not a job many folks would want but an important one if Florida is going to understand what they can and can not do to control this and other problem species introduced to the state.
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Post by parfive on Apr 8, 2019 11:44:42 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Apr 8, 2019 12:24:02 GMT -5
Crazy how much damage they have done
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 5:57:48 GMT -5
Relax, this beast is(usually) limited to the swamp of swamps containing little dry land. If you ever visit Miami you would wish the python to reduce the obnoxious human populations there ha. Granted a terrible impact on this Everglades park which is also the only habitat to the native American crocodile. On the subject of the American crocodile: Alligators were eliminated to near extinction in most of our lifetimes. In the past 30 years they have made a miraculous comeback and are in many(most) cases overpopulated. Similar success may occur with the native American crocodile since conservation measures are just starting to accelerate populations. It too is (usually) limited to the harsh environment of the everglades and rarely effected by the python. This croc an interesting critter: "Adult American crocodiles have no natural predators. They are known predators of lemon sharks, and sharks avoid areas with American crocodiles. Nonetheless, a single recorded fatality was reported for a small adult American crocodile when a great white shark killed the American crocodile as it was swimming out at sea.[46][47] Usually American crocodiles are dominant over and more behaviorally aggressive than American alligators."  Easy way to attract aggressive tame alligators, walking small dog along water front. Curious about the crocodile's reaction. Not sure Naples and Miami are going to want large populations of crocodiles adjacent to them. I attended a wetland seminar back in early 2000 at Fort Meyers Florida. They took us for a field trip to a crocodile conservation wetland and we walked up on 4 American crocodiles, 3 were alive and one they were eating. I was amazed at how cavalier the crocs were when we approached them.  Isn't she cute ? Girl needs to get out in the sun. This thing is lightning fast in water or on land. 'A' predator:  Smiling for the camera, so sweet:  In need of dental work. Pearly whites:  Really bad breath, more needed dental work:  No comment:  |
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 9, 2019 7:30:52 GMT -5
The one in that last pic does not seem unhappy, just sayin'.  Al |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 7:39:06 GMT -5
Serious efficiency Rich. Hope they are heavily populated to eradicate at such efficiency. Bobcats are clever and feisty as it gets, that is amazing. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 7:42:19 GMT -5
The one in that last pic does not seem unhappy, just sayin'. Al I'll switch spots with him Al  . |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 7:47:44 GMT -5
I have known one of those snake catchers since he was a baby (parents were friends and colleagues). Degree in biology, years in Peace Corps - good experience for preparing for this job which probably does not pay well. It's not a job many folks would want but an important one if Florida is going to understand what they can and can not do to control this and other problem species introduced to the state. Aquarium fish have become a serious sport fish in extreme south Florida. Cichlids and piranha family, peacock bass, others. It does not take long for aquatic creatures to infiltrate because of the cover and transportation routes water affords. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 7:55:29 GMT -5
Crazy how much damage they have done There are S. Florida game management officers that carry powerful pellet guns to safely reduce the thriving Iguana populations in populated areas. They also get substantial in size. Reptiles + heat = population explosion |
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Post by 1dave on Apr 9, 2019 8:07:44 GMT -5
Crazy how much damage they have done There are S. Florida game management officers that carry powerful pellet guns to safely reduce the thriving Iguana populations in populated areas. They also get substantial in size. Reptiles + heat = population explosion But then they eat themselves out of neighbors and starve. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2019 9:48:13 GMT -5
Maybe they will revert to cannibalism 1dave ! |
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Post by parfive on Apr 9, 2019 11:55:18 GMT -5
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Post by mohs on Apr 9, 2019 12:06:38 GMT -5
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Post by parfive on Apr 9, 2019 12:29:55 GMT -5
Not crocs, but . . . Oh, shit, I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat.
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,688
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Post by NRG on Apr 9, 2019 18:01:20 GMT -5
Serious efficiency Rich. Hope they are heavily populated to eradicate at such efficiency. Bobcats are clever and feisty as it gets, that is amazing. Interesting thing is, a predator cannot eliminate it's own prey. If this happens, they have no new food being produced, and they will starve. What will happen is a predator will diminish numbers, then the predator crashes and the prey rebounds. Then the predator rebounds. Sometimes the oscillating cycles continue, sometimes the variations settle out into a stable system. I predict this in the next decade. The snakes have been there since the 1960's due to army research program releasing them upon conclusion. Hurricane Andrew added new bloodlines and the population spiked to the very high density seen today. A freeze awhile back killed all the young ones, but the larger ones survived. |
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Post by 1dave on Apr 11, 2019 9:47:53 GMT -5
What do you call an alligator in a vest?  |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2019 5:24:58 GMT -5
Serious efficiency Rich. Hope they are heavily populated to eradicate at such efficiency. Bobcats are clever and feisty as it gets, that is amazing. Interesting thing is, a predator cannot eliminate it's own prey. If this happens, they have no new food being produced, and they will starve. What will happen is a predator will diminish numbers, then the predator crashes and the prey rebounds. Then the predator rebounds. Sometimes the oscillating cycles continue, sometimes the variations settle out into a stable system. I predict this in the next decade. The snakes have been there since the 1960's due to army research program releasing them upon conclusion. Hurricane Andrew added new bloodlines and the population spiked to the very high density seen today. A freeze awhile back killed all the young ones, but the larger ones survived. The snake sure seems happy down there NRG. Looks like a loosing battle eliminating them. New bloodlines ? Making more efficient snakes ? In my lifetime I watched alligators rebound from being rare to overpopulated over a large area. Amazing comeback. People swim with sharks and attacks are common. But people usually avoid swimming in gator habitat otherwise there would be many more attacks. This I know. Granted the American Crocodile is limited to the southern tip of Florida in the US but it appears they are going to have dense populations of them soon. Miami and Naples residents may eventually start feeding a the crocs like people feed gators making them tame and therefore dangerous. And/or the crocs may become adapted to human development down there. May be an interesting outcome if this croc is aggressive. Most croc species are more of a threat than alligators from what I understand. Certainly faster and more athletic. Any opinions about a thriving American Croc thriving about Miami ? Unlike gators they love saltwater. Map of large canal system in Miami not counting hundreds of finger canals.  9 footer attacks both man and woman at same time !!! in 2004. Population was 300 in 1975, at 2000 in 2004. Likely to have exponential population growth. Consider larger/older populations in years to come. 12 to 15 footers sharing the beach. www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/26/crocodile-bite-florida-swimmers-miami“Crocodiles are most active at dawn and dusk, they’re looking for food, and this one would have interpreted what was in the water as food,” he said. “It’s common sense never to swim where you know there are crocodiles and alligators.” South East Florida is home to about 2,000 American crocodiles, living in coastal areas and in the area’s abundance of saltwater canals and brackish creeks and mangrove swamps, according to the FWC. Numbers have risen from about 300 since being listed as an endangered species in 1975, making it one of the commission’s most successful conservation programs." An 11 foot croc in Lake Tarpon 2013 - www.nbcmiami.com/news/Large-Crocodile-Spotted-in-Miami-Beach-233592831.html |
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Post by parfive on Apr 19, 2019 16:59:04 GMT -5
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