Newly Discovered Hybrid Pythons Are Threatening Florida’s Wildlife
A new study has found that some invasive Burmese pythons carry DNA from another snake, which could make them more adaptable—and more dangerous
By Brigit Katz
August 30, 2018
In the 1980s, a small number of pet Burmese pythons were released into the Florida wilderness. The slithering snakes have since proliferated throughout the southern part of the state, and they are eating their way through populations of birds and mammals, including some that are endangered. As Bopha Phorn reports for ABC News, a team of researchers recently discovered an additional threat to Florida’s biodiversity: a number of Burmese pythons running loose in the state are hybrid species, which could make them even more resilient than their non-hybrid cousins.
Scientists from the United States Geological Survey and the Everglades National Park analyzed tissue from the tails of around 400 Burmese pythons that were captured in Florida between 2001 and 2012. The team wanted to learn more about the invasive species in order to better understand Florida’s Burmese pythons and the acute threat they pose to the state’s wildlife.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/newly-discovered-hybrid-pythons-are-threatening-floridas-wildlife-180970178/
