A foreign predator is threatening the local wildlife and ecology in the Everglades in Florida.

Alligators in the area used to be at the top of the local food chain however in the apst 17 years, Burmese pythons are starting to gain a foothold and are challenging the alligators for top spot in the food chain.

American exotic pet laws are fairly lax and as a result, exotic pets are popular across the country. Many exotic pets are bought when they are babies, however they can quickly outgrow their homes. Burmese pythons in particular can grow more than a foot a month. Since 2004, over 140,000 pythons have been imported into America. A baby python can be bought for as little as $20 from pet stores. It is estimated that around 100,000 pythons now live in the swamps and forests around Florida alone.

When the animals grow too large, some people release them into the wild. Pythons can grow up to 27ft long, weighing in at 30 stone. Pythons are also greedy and will usually eat whatever they are fed meaning they can weight stupendous amounts if they are overfed. Food bills for a large python can run into hundreds of pounds per month – pythons are usually fed on frozen or live rats, chickens and rabbits – and this is sometimes too expensive for some owners. Some pythons also escaped during Hurricane Andrew when houses were torn down and the snakes escaped.

There have already been several battles witnessed by rangers and tourists between alligators and pythons. One battle lasted over 24 hours with the python ending up victorious. Unforunately for the python, the alligator was too much to handle and the python’s sides ripped open.

Pythons kill by crushing prey in their coils. They are able to exert a force of several tonnes which shatters the bones in their prey. After a big kill, the snake’s heart will grow to produce more blood for digestion, extra stomach acid will be produced and the intestines will rearrange themselves. After eating a large kill, snakes can go for a long time without needing to eat again.

Unfortunately Florida has the perfect climate for these Burmese pythons and their increasing prescence is starting to upset the fragile ecosystem in the area. Rangers in the area have started hunting the snakes, either killing them or giving them to zoos however the snakes are still thought to be increasing in their numbers. Some experts believe that without drastic action, the snakes could become the most common and dangerous large predator in the US.

One toddler has already been strangled in recent weeks by a python and it is feared that attacks may start to increase as numbers increase. The fear is so great that there are calls for a widespread cull of wild Burmese pythons to be implemented – ironic given the snakes are endangered in the jungles of South-East Asia where they originated from.

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