Good Lifestyle

Snakes with bells and copper with cotton mouths and coral snakes, the United States shelters dozens of different Snake species . And if that is not scary enough for those of us who prefer to avoid these critters, a non -native snake now arouses serious concerns for the inhabitants and scientists. Giant invasive pythons have been found in southern Florida, and the experts recognize that they find it difficult to prevent snakes from spreading even more. Read the rest to know why these pythons "need an army" to be arrested.

In relation: Python the size of the giraffe found in the United States - why they are unstoppable .

The Burmese Invasif Python has made a house in the lower half of Florida. In February, scientists from US Geological Survey (USGS) published a report on the development of these snakes in the southern part of the state. According to the report, the first conclusions of Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park date back to the late 1970s. But scientists officially confirmed that the species had established a reproductive population in 2000.

"The population has since developed and now occupies a large part of southern Florida," said the USGS in a Press release accompanying the report. "They consume a wide range of animals and have changed the food canvas and ecosystems in the biggest Everglades."

In relation: 20 bell snakes found in the man's garage - here is where they hid .

This invasive species has already started to pass the south of Florida. Ian Bartoszek , a biologist with the Conservation of southwest Florida , said to the initiate in September that Scientists see Burmese pythons "appear in the counties increasingly north" each year. It is not known how they have spread, but current research indicates that snakes have at least reached Lake Okeechobee, near West Palm Beach.

Nick Ziegler , a 23 -year -old Florida Atlantic University student who is contracted by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to withdraw the Burmese pythons from the Everglades, recently confirmed that he has noticed the ascending mobility of this species in recent years, The Palm Beach Post reported.

"I was going down to the south to catch pythons, but I caught them north. I caught my first python in Palm Beach county during the winter holidays," Ziegler told the newspaper.

In relation: 8 things in your courtyard that attract snakes to your home .

The Burmese Python is one of the largest snakes in the world - with the largest Burmese captured in Florida so far, measuring more than 18 feet in length, according to the FWC. Due to their large size and great diet, these snakes do not have real predators. Consequently, they modified the ecosystem in southern Florida by attacking different native species and by reducing their populations. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"I remember that the Everglades were this Wild Wonderland", " Toby Benoit , a python hunter in Florida said The Palm Beach Post . "There were only herds of deer. You could descend into the dikes, and you would see red lynx, opossums, raccoils and birds like a national study of Africa. It was simply incredible . "

But the Everglades have become a "ghost city" since the invasion of Burmese pythons, according to Benoit, who was only one of the participants in 1023 of 1023 Florida Python challenge in August. This annual competition was created by the FWS to increase awareness of invasive pythons and their negative impaction the ecology of Florida by enlisting ordinary people to help capture and eliminate Burmese snakes.

However, python hunt is not easy. After five years of participation, Benoit said The Palm Beach Post that he has achieved how fast these Burmese pythons can adapt to their surrounding environment.

"I think the best advice I received was not to focus on looking at everything to be a snake; starting to focus on everything that doesn't look like a snake," he said. "They have the largest motive for camouflage of all nature."

During the Florida Python Challenge 2023, around 230 pythons were captured by competitors, according to the newspaper. And these are not the only efforts of eradication. Scientists like Bartoszek have also worked on the use of telemetry radio to follow the Pythons, and he and his team caught a record number of pythons this season, according to The Palm Beach Post.

"We are approaching the end of this season, and we have been close to 5,000 pounds since November," said Bartoszek.

But while any contribution to the abolition effort is appreciated, the control of the population of snakes and the cessation of its propagation remain a massive challenge.

"There must be more developed landscape levels developed to solve the problem," he said The Palm Beach Post . "This problem does not disappear and we need an army of observers there.

In relation: For more information, register for our daily newsletter .