Volume 19 Issue 4 - Long Island Herpetological Society

Transcription

HERPETOFAUNA
Journal
Support the LIHS
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Long Island Herpetological Society
July/August 2009
Volume 19, Issue 4
NEXT LIHS MEETING DATE – September 20, 2009
20th Annual LIHS Reptile & Amphibian Show
October 17th, 2009
page 5
A Basic Guide to Corn Snake Genetic Manipulation - Page 6
On Burmese Pythons in the Everglades - page 15
Wildlife experts question python numbers in Everglades - page 45
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
PRESENTS: FROGS: A CHORUS OF COLORS
pages 55/56 for additional information
Herp Marketplace – pages 57/58
Meeting Dates & Information – page 59
LIHS Executive Board Nominations – OPEN at September Meeting
LIHS PRESIDENT MESSAGE Summer 2009
J
une was a great month for the LIHS as we had two great events. First, we had Herp Day at the
Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery. This is a great event that I personally like to attend each year
& bring the kids to feed the trout. It was one of the rare days in June that did not rain & a lot of
people turned out to take a look at our reptiles. Member participation was great as we had a large
group of us showing off our herps while educating the public about these great animals & their ease
of care. Member participation is an important part of our organization & I’m happy to say that we
are starting to get a lot of it lately and it simply makes our job (the board) much easier – thank you
all.
Our second big event for June was our First Annual Reptile Auction. I wanted to thank all of
the Board members & the generous members that contributed their time, energy & donations to the
Auction. It turned out to be a great success and we raised some well needed funds to help keep our
Society running smoothly. A lot of fun was had by all and I look forward to having it again next year.
Most everyone there left with something they wanted (and got a great deal on it too) and they in
turn left behind something they simply didn’t use any longer. Just like the old adage “One person’s
trash is another ones treasure”. I also wanted to thank Zoo Med for their generous donations & I
have sent them a personal note directly to their Sales Rep from me.
And lastly I wanted to mention our board members because most of the membership rarely
gets to see how much time & effort is involved in keeping our organization running smoothly. The
board we have now is probably the best we have had in many years & runs like a well oiled machine.
Thank you all for making my job easier as your efforts are very much appreciated.
Vin Russo
President
LIHS
LIHS Executive Board 2008 / 2009
President:
Vice-President:
2nd Vice-President:
Secretary:
Sergeant-at-Arms:
Treasurer:
Programs Coordinator:
Herpetofauna Editor:
Vin Russo
John Heiser
Kirk Peters
Ed Bennett
Mike Russo
Rich Hume
Rich Meyer, Jr.
Rich Meyer, Jr.
Contact the LIHS
Web:
www.LIHS.org
E-mail:
[email protected]
Tel:
( 631 ) 884-5447
Mail:
476 North Ontario Avenue
Lindenhurst, New York 11757-3909
LIHS Herpetofauna Journal ~ July/August 2009 ~ Volume 19, Issue 4 ~
www.LIHS.org
Page 2
IN MEMORIAM H. BERNARD BECHTEL (1922-2009)
Dr. H. Bernard Bechtel, of Valdosta, Georgia, died suddenly on Friday, 10 July 2009 in Gainesville, Florida, en route to visit family. He was born on 2 October, 1922, near the small western
Pennsylvania village of New Enterprise. While he was still an infant, the family moved to Johnstown,
Pennsylvania where his father obtained work in a dairy.
He attended public schools in Johnstown, graduating from Johnstown Central High School
in 1940, and began to attend the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown Center. This was interrupted
when he enlisted in the Army Air Force, where he became an aerial gunner. He participated in30
missions over Germany as a gunner on B-17s. Following the war, he completed his pre-medical studies at Juniata College in Huntington, Pennsylvania. He received his medical degree from Jefferson
Medical College in Philadelphia in 1950. Following an internship at Reading General Hospital in Reading, Pennsylvania, he established a general practice in Johnstown. In 1955, he married Elizabeth
Reimet of Moorestown, New Jersey. In 1956, he accepted a residency in dermatology at the Indiana
University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He practiced dermatology in Johnstown from 1959 until 1963, when he and his wife, Bette, moved to Valdosta, where he practiced until he retired in 1997.
He was Diplomate in The American Academy of Dermatology.
From a very early age, Dr. Bechtel was an avid student of reptiles, turtles, crocodilians, and
amphibians; he was a herpetologist as well as being a dermatologist. He published a book and numerous publications, mostly pertaining to his area of expertise in snake genetics, for which he was
widely known. His wife Bette was his partner in this and became a recognized herpetologist on her
own after their marriage. Dr. Bechtel is survived by his wife, Bette Bechtel of Valdosta; sister, Alma
Mountain of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; two nephews, Joe Mountain of Fort Pierce, Florida, and Ned
Mountain of Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia.
Dr. Bechtel requested no flowers. Donations may be made to his favorite charity, The National Nature Conservancy, 4245 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 100, Arlington, Va., 22203-1606.
On behalf the LIHS, we would like to convey our condolences to the Bechtel family.
Dr. Bechtel's book 9 which many of us have read ), Reptile and Amphibian Variants: Colors,
Patterns, and Scales, was the first book published on the subject of reptile and amphibian variations
that occur naturally or through selective breeding. The text contained enough basic biology to help
the reader understand the discussion of the various mutations. The fascinating book opened a window on this developing and complex field of inquiry. Profusely illustrated, this book covered an arcane subject from the author's personal perspective.
www.LIHS.org
Page 3
Gut-Loading
Hi All,
Hope everyone had a great summer. Summer is winding down, but, the LIHS 2009 – 2010 is about
to start. I would like touch the LIHS Herpetofauna Journal.
We have gone electronic with the LIHS Herpetofauna Journal. In order for you to receive the eJournal, I need the following information from each of you ( and of course you MUST have a
CURRENT MEMBERSHIP ):



EMAIL ADDRESS
NAME
HOME / STREET ADDRESS
If I don’t receive this information, you will NOT receive the journal
I also need herp related material. Be it reprinted material ( with proper credit provided ), herp related cartoons, photos ( yes, of your herps, you, your set-up, other herp related photos ( a trip to the
zoo, museum, etc. ). You can submit articles, questions, suggestions, etc., to me at
< [email protected] >
Rich Meyer, Jr.
LIHS Editor
JOINING the LIHS or RENEWING an LIHS Membership
You can JOIN the LIHS or RENEW an LIHS Membership in several manners. Join or Renew at a meeting or LIHS Event or MAIL your completed LIHS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION with $25.00 payment (
cash [ meetings only ], check or money order ) made to the LIHS. Not sure if your RENEWAL is due??
Email me at < [email protected] >
Print out an LIHS membership application from our website at:
http://www.lihs.org/files/member.htm or “CLICK” on LIHS MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION .
Fill it out and bring to a meeting or mail it to:
LIHS
476 North Ontario Avenue
Lindenhurst, New York 11757-3909
As ALL LIHS JOURNALS will now be sent ELECTRONICALLY, so, PLEASE make sure to include an EMAIL ADDRESS with your LIHS Membership / Renewal Application.
www.LIHS.org
Page 4
Long Island Herpetological Society, Inc.
A NYS Registered
Non-Profit Organization
Profits benefit L.I.H.S. Supported Programs including
Educational Programs & Environmental Causes
th
20 Annual LIHS
EDUCATIONAL
EXHIBITS
Equipment
Reptiles & Amphibians
On Sale
Reptile & Amphibian Expo
October 17th, 2009 ( Saturday )
Roosevelt Hall ~ Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, New York
( Located on ROUTE 110, Melville Road ENTRANCE )
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Live Reptiles, Equipment, Books, Caging on Sale
LIHS Judged Reptile/Amphibian Show - Trophies, Ribbons
( Call for INFO to ENTER SHOW - see Box Below )
For additional information regarding:



The LIHS EXPO / VENDOR
TABLE
Entering the LIHS R/A SHOW
The LIHS



TEL: ( 631 ) 884-5447
Web: www.LIHS.org
Email: [email protected]
ADMISSION
Adults.................................
$6.00
Children & Seniors.............
$4.00
LIHS Members...................
$3.00 *
Children under 5................. FREE
FSC Students…………………. $3.00 *
FSC Faculty…………………….. $3.00 *
* Must be a “Current” LIHS Member
* Must have “Current” Student I.D.
* Must have “Current” Faculty I.D.
www.LIHS.org
Page 5
A Basic Guide to Corn Snake Genetic Manipulation
“The Genetic Cheat Sheet”
Are you thinking about starting a Corn snake
Project? Well, you might try contacting our resident experts, Vin Russo, or Rich “Corn snake the BEST Pet Snake
Ever” Hume. Or the following material might help you eliminate the guesswork, associated with which two corn snakes
you should put together for breeding purposes. It should
help you determine which parent the hatchlings may look
like. Will they look like BOTH parents, or possibly NEITHER
parent?
What is a phenotype? ( phe·no·type ); [(fee-nuhteyep)]: A phenotype is the observable physical or biochemNormal corn snake
ical characteristics of an organism, as determined by both
Photo courtesy Ed Bennett
genetic makeup and environmental influences. It is the expression of a specific trait, such as stature or blood type, based on genetic and environmental influences. That is, a phenotype is the outward appearance of an organism; the expression of a genotype
in the form of traits that can be seen and measured, such as hair or eye color. Bottom line, the
PHENOTYPE is what your snake will physically look like. ( see 4 Main Phenotypes below )
4 Main Phenotypes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Normal – having black and red pigment
Anerythristic – missing red pigment
Amelanistic – missing black pigment
Snow – missing red and black pigment
Genotypes ( in corn snakes )
What is the genotype? ( gen·o·type ) * jěn'ə-tīp' +: The genotype is the genetic makeup, of an
organism, as distinguished from the physical appearance, of an organism or a group of organisms. It
is the combination of alleles located on homologous chromosomes that determines a specific characteristic or trait. The genotype helps determine the phenotype. Some genes are DOMINANT, while
others are RECESSIVE. Genes generally occur in pairs of DOMINANT, RECESSIVE or one of EACH ( see
9 Main Genotypes below )




B = DOMINANT gene for BLACK pigment
b = RECESSIVE gene for BLACK pigment
R = DOMINANT gene for RED pigment
r = RECESSIVE gene for RED pigment
www.LIHS.org
Page 6
9 Main Phenotypes ( in Corn Snakes )
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Normal
Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic
Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic
Normal, Hetero for Snow
Anerythristic
Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
Amelanistic
Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
Snow
BBRR
BBRr
BbRR
BbRr
BBrr
Bbrr
BbRR
bbRr
Bbrr
Four basic Color Morphs of Corn Snakes :
( Remember this is ONLY a “Basic Primer” )
A. NORMAL – has DOMINANT GENES for BLACK and RED pigment
B. ANERYTHRISTIC – has DOMINANT GENES for BLACK and RECESSIVE GENES RED pigment
C. AMELANISTIC - has RECESSIVE GENES for BLACK and DOMINANT GENES RED pigment
D. SNOW - has RECESSIVE GENES for BLACK and RED pigment
1. Normal x Normal
2. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic
3. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic
4. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Snow
5. Normal x Anerythristic
6. Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
7. Normal x Amelanistic
8. Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
9. Normal x Snow
10. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Anerythristic
11. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Amelanistic
12. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
13. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Anerythristic
14. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
15. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Amelanistic
16. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
www.LIHS.org
Page 7
17. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Snow
18. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Amelanistic
19. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
22. Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic x Amelanistic
23. Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
24. Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow
25. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Snow, Hetero for Snow
27. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Snow, Hetero for Snow
28. Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow
29. Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow, Hetero for Snow
30. Normal, Hetero for Snow X Snow
31. Anerythristic x Anerythristic
32. Anerythristic x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
33. Anerythristic x Amelanistic
34. Anerythristic x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
35. Anerythristic x Snow
36. Anerythristic, Hetero for Anerythristic x Snow, Hetero for Snow
37. Anerythristic, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow
38. Anerythristic, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow, Hetero for Snow
39. Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow x Snow
40. Amelanistic x Amelanistic
41. Amelanistic x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
42. Amelanistic x Snow
43. Amelanistic, Hetero for Amelanistic x Snow, Hetero for Snow
44. Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow x Snow
45. Snow x Snow
1. Normal x Normal
Probable Percentage of Offspring :
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Classic example of an Anerythristic corn snake.
Note the lack of red pigment.
Photo courtesy LIHS – www.LIHS.org
www.LIHS.org
Page 8
2. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
50.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
3. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Amelanistic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
75.00
0.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
ABOVE / BELOW: examples of Anerythrism in
corn snakes. These are anerythristic striped
blood red corns. Notice the lack of red pigment.
Photos courtesy Rich Hume from his article
“Striped Blood Reds”
Photos by Charles Pritzel and Lexcorn
4. Normal x Normal, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
25.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
www.LIHS.org
Page 9
5. Normal x Anerythristic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
6. Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
50.00
0.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Above / Below: Examples of Amelanistic corn
snakes. Note the absence of black pigment.
Top Photo courtesy Rich Hume
Bottom Photo courtesy LIHS – www.LIHS.org
7. Normal x Amelanistic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
www.LIHS.org
Page 10
8. Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
50.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
9. Normal x Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Snow corn snake, lacking both red and black
pigments
Photo courtesy LIHS – www.LIHS.org
10. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Anerythristic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
25.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
www.LIHS.org
Page 11
11. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Amelanistic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
37.50
37.50
12.50
12.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
12. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
12.50
25.00
12.50
25.00
12.50
12.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
13. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Anerythristic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
www.LIHS.org
Page 12
14. Normal, Hetero for Anerythristic x Anerythristic, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
25.00
0.00
25.00
25.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
50.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
25.00
50.00
0.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
www.LIHS.org
Page 13
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
0.00
0.00
0.00
50.00
0.00
50.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
18. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Amelanistic
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
56.25
0.00
37.50
0.00
0.00
0.00
6.25
0.00
0.00
19. Normal, Hetero for Normal x Amelanistic, Hetero for Snow
Normal
Anerythristic
Amelanistic
Snow
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
18.75
18.75
25.00
25.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Part 2 – Nos. 20 – 45 Next ISSUE
www.LIHS.org
Page 14
On Burmese Pythons in the Everglades
Questions Posed and Answered on the Issues of Pythons in South
Florida and in Captivity
David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker
The Occasional Papers of Vida Preciosa International
no. 1
VPI Library
Boerne Texas
July 2009
www.LIHS.org
Page 15
The Authors
David and Tracy Barker are graduate biologists with more than 70 years of combined experience with reptiles and amphibians. They both have expansive herpetological backgrounds, including work in zoo herpetological collections, museum collections, and field research. Their combined
interests and experiences range from dart poison frogs to ridgenose rattlesnakes. Herpetoculture is
the main interest of this husband and wife team; they own and manage Vida Preciosa International,
Inc., a commercial business that specializes in the captive propagation and research of pythons. They
have published extensively on pythons, including the general topics of systematics, taxonomy, maintenance, husbandry, reproduction, behavior, physiology, and morphology. Their most recent book,
Ball Pythons: The History, Natural History, Care, and Breeding, was recognized as Best Animal Book
of 2006 by the Independent Publishers Annual Awards. The authors can be contacted at
[email protected].
A substantially different version of this paper was published in April 2009
9 Vida Preciosa International, Inc.
© 2009 Vida Preciosa International, Inc.
On Burmese Pythons in the Everglades
Questions Posed and Answered on the Issues of Pythons in South Florida and in Captivity
David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker
Summary
There is no doubt and no denying that
a population of the Burmese python, Python
molurus bivittatus, is now established and
thriving in Everglades National Park and in adjacent areas of South Florida. The new presence of such a large snake species in the continental United States has precipitated proposed legislation that threatens to attack and
very negatively affect the rights of all Americans to own, study, maintain, and breed pythons.
The issue at stake is Senate Bill 373, a
proposal by Florida Senator Bill Nelson to
place pythons on the Injurious Wildlife List of
the Lacey Act. There may be more than a million pythons in captivity in the USA - no provision is made as to their disposal should this bill
be passed. Passage would surely cause bankruptcies and foreclosures for thousands of
American citizens at a time of the worst American economy in decades. This proposal is antiscience, anti-education and anti-conservation.
It is poorly and ambiguously written. It
amounts to a sweeping confiscation of the
property rights of 500,000 or more Americans.
www.LIHS.org
Page 16
We traveled to South Florida so that
we personally could speak with folks who
have seen and collected pythons, and in the
hope that we might come to a better understanding of the issue of the presence of this
addition to the list of herpetofauna of Florida.
We make the following observations.
thon in South Florida. The founders of the
Everglades python population were most likely imported hatchling pythons - not deliberately released, large, captive-raised adults. We
discuss various possible scenarios and propose
that hurricane damage to pet industry animal
distributors is the most likely source.
Burmese pythons are now established
and, by all reports, flourishing in South Florida.
It is unlikely that the species will be eradicated
from Florida. It is equally unlikely that the species will migrate or expand its range in Florida
beyond the historical Everglades region. The
presence of Burmese pythons in South Florida
should be regarded a state issue, not a national issue.
Career biologists employed by the
United States Geological Survey ( USGS ) have
published a paper and map claiming that Burmese pythons can survive in the southern
third of the continental USA. This paper is
flawed and its conclusions are incorrect.
At this time the
Burmese python is correctly identified as an
“established exotic species,” but not an “invasive” species. Burmese
pythons have not demonstrated any potential
to pose increased risk to
human health, agriculture, or the ecosystem of South Florida.
Florida has two native giant carnivorous reptile predators, the American crocodile
and the American alligator. Both will prey on
Burmese pythons when given the chance.
They are the apex predators of South Florida,
not Burmese pythons. In South Florida, Burmese pythons have predators at every size
class.
Despite claims to the contrary, there is
no evidence that the source of the founding
stock of Burmese pythons in South Florida was
released pets. No person has ever been witnessed, charged or convicted of releasing a py-
Likewise, the recently announced plan
to overwinter Burmese
pythons in outside unprotected enclosures in
South Carolina is the antithesis of science. It
adds to the sensationalism begun by USGS biologists; this is a misappropriation of funds
better spent in South
Florida actually addressing the issue at hand. In
our opinion, research contracts should be canceled.
The government entity best suited to
manage the project to control Burmese pythons in South Florida is the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) Wildlife Services. It is an agency with the most experience
in this type of project, an excellent record of
results, and it is the only government agency
with federal authority for this type of project.
Wildlife Services has demonstrated a practical
results-based approach to resolve the projects
with which it has been charged. If anyone is
going to receive funding, these are the biologists for this project.
www.LIHS.org
Page 17
If further introductions of exotic tropical species of plants and animals are to cease,
then we propose that the Port of Miami be
closed to international shipments of plants
and animals, and a northern port then be designated as the port-of-entry for tropical exotic
species.
What is so special about the Everglades and
South Florida?
Everglades National Park (ENP) is a
huge place. The park itself is more than 1.5
million acres, larger than the state of Delaware. Most of the park is accessible only by
helicopter or airboat. It’s not only a national
park, but also is recognized as an International
Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and
a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.
The climate of South Florida is semi-tropical,
hot and muggy in the summer, dry and pleasant in the winter. All of South Florida, from
the Big Cypress Swamp at the north - west,
north to and including Lake Okeechobee in the
center, and the Atlantic Ridge on which the
Miami metropolitan area sits, is recognized as
the Everglades ecoregion or sometimes as the
“historic Everglades,” an area of about 3 million acres.
Water defines the Everglades. Water
flows through the Everglades, draining the
rains of Central Florida as a slow continuous
shallow sheet of water that flows southward
to empty into Florida Bay. Over the past century, the water has been routed and re-routed
by 1400 miles of canals and levees, most constructed with the aim of draining wetlands for
development and providing water for agriculture.
To drive through the classic Everglades
“river of grass” is to view a big sky over a flat
plain of grass and sedge. South Florida is just a
few feet above sea level, the very bottom of
the peninsula of Florida, surrounded on three
sides by the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean,
Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. The Everglades barely emerge, mostly four or five feet
higher than sea level. Across the plains, the
grasses grow in water that rises and falls with
a wet and dry season, sometimes a foot or 18
inches in depth, sometimes only thick mud.
Out across the grassy flats are scattered low
hummocks, most with a stand of scrub and
low trees.
The ENP is the most polluted and the
most disturbed ecosystem of any national
park or preserve in the United States. In the
1950s and 1960s, some areas of the Everglades
were sprayed with four times the concentration of Agent Orange as was sprayed in Vietnam. Between the ENP and Lake Okeechobee
is a vast area of 700,000 acres of sugarcane;
the waters draining this area carry the pesticides and fertilizers from that industry. Much
of the runoff from the lawns and golf courses
of Miami and the agricultural fields of Homestead and Florida City flows through the ENP.
The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates
that only 2% of pristine Everglade ecosystem
remains.
South Florida, including the ENP, is
home to more exotic species of plants and animals than any other region of the United
States. Indeed, there is probably no similarsized area of the world with more alien species so well established. Several thousand
plant and animal species recorded in ENP are
nonnative species.
Most of the exotic species are plants
escaped from the yards and fields of surround-
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ing South Florida. The waters teem with exotic
fish, plants, algae, and mollusks; some fish are
escaped tropical fish from the aquarium trade
and some purposely introduced by government biologists for sport fishing. Most of the
lizard species in South Florida are exotic species. There are 10 taxa of introduced anole lizards; green iguanas and spiny-tailed iguanas
are the most commonly observed large reptiles in Miami. South American caiman are
found out in the swamps. Monk parakeets are
seen along the roads. Nile monitor lizards and
giant veiled chameleons are found in the
northwestern corner of the region. Feral hogs
and house cats are common, widespread, and
recognized as the most detrimental predators
of native wildlife. There are even several established colonies of wild monkeys.
Despite the extraordinary changes and
challenges brought by the twenty-first century, the impression one gains when experiencing the ENP and South Florida is that the
place is wonderful. The productivity of the
land is extraordinary. Driving down any road,
there are constant scenes of ibis, herons,
egrets, various waterfowl, fish crows, kites
and ospreys. The place is vibrant, verdant,
bursting at the seams with life. Outside the
park there are more palm tree species and varieties of fruit trees than can be identified.
There are vast fields of potatoes, tomatoes,
onions, green beans and squash, and fallow
fields overgrown with scrub and grasses. There
are groves of all manner of citrus, nurseries
full of ornamental plants, stands of cypress,
live oaks and sabal palms.
The Everglades of today is like America
itself - a blending of species from around the
world, an ecosystem changing and adapting to
new influences that have arrived with the
growing flood of people that now inhabit all of
South Florida. The people are barred from living in the ENP, but the plants and animals that
have arrived with them know no such boundaries.
Burmese pythons are most often seen
crossing roads at night. - Photo by Bill Love
Despite the addition of so many exotic
species in ENP, the ecosystem has proven to
be resilient and remains functioning and productive. Its biodiversity is greater today that at
any time since the settlement of Florida. Yes,
it has to be monitored and sometimes managed. However, the fears and predictions of
environmentalists that any ecosystem so riddled at all trophic levels with exotic species
could not function have not proven to be true.
Most of the ecosystems of the entire planet
include a significant percentage of introduced
species as a consequence of the actions of
humans. The simple fact is that most exotic
and “alien” species, both plants and animals,
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don’t derail ecosystems and they may make
positive contributions.
The Everglades of yesterday, the Everglades of 200 years ago, is gone. The purity of
the old historic Everglades has not been experienced by any living human. Still, a return to
that ecosystem is held as the ultimate goal by
many conservationists and restorationists of
the “Glades.” They fail to accept and acknowledge that the remembered ecosystem itself
was but one vignette in a changing landscape.
The Everglades and all of South Florida have
changed, have always changed, and will continue to change. But they will never change
back.
When did the Burmese python colonize South
Florida?
The first published report of a Burmese
python in South Florida is of an individual
found in 1979 along the Tamiami Trail, just
outside the ENP at the northern boundary. In
the following 21 years, another 11 Burmese
pythons were recorded. Then, in 2002, 27 pythons were reported. Since then the numbers
of reported and captured Burmese pythons
have increased each year. According to an interview in The New Yorker ( April 20, 2009 )
with National Park Service biologist Skip Snow,
more than 900 pythons have been recorded in
the ENP and surrounding areas.
Estimates of the total numbers of wild
Burmese pythons living in South Florida are
varying and premature, but there is no doubt
that the species is present in large numbers,
widespread throughout the area, successfully
breeding, and there to stay. Most authorities
believe that the range of the Burmese python
in North America will be restricted to the
Everglades ecoregion.
What is a Burmese Python?
An adult Burmese python is a big
snake. South Florida is famous for big snakes.
The biggest native snakes are eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and indigos; both are
big species known to exceed eight feet in
length. In comparison, average adult Burmese
pythons are 9 to 12 feet in length. A 12-foot
captive Burmese python weighs about 85 to
100 pounds; a wild python of similar length
would weigh less, in most cases about 50 to 70
pounds.
The maximum size for the species exceeds 17 feet. There are various historical reports of lengths for the species that range
from 18 to 30 feet, but there are no accepted
or verifiable records that exceed 20 feet. There
have been tens of thousands of Burmese pythons raised in captivity since 1970. Most never exceeded 12 feet in length; we are aware of
only one that may have exceeded 18 feet in
length.
In captivity few snakes attain anywhere near maximum size; most examples of
large older adult males are 11 feet long and
females 12–13 feet long. Just as in humans,
where maximum height for the species surpasses eight feet but most humans are less
than six feet, most Burmese pythons can be
expected to attain a size that is about twothirds of the maximum.
As an aside, we mention that the maximum length of the American alligator exceeds
17 feet and maximum weight approaches a
ton. Alligators are much larger than Burmese
pythons. Of course, most alligators are nowhere near the maximum size, but even the
average adult gator is bigger and heavier than
the biggest pythons.
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The weight of a huge female python in
captivity can exceed 200 pounds. There are a
few reports of captive Burmese pythons that
exceeded 300 pounds in weight, but that is
roughly equivalent to the 800-pound humans
you see pictured on the front of grocery store
tabloids. Wild snakes would be leaner and
lighter than captive specimens; weights of
about 120–150 pounds seem likely for the biggest specimens.
We are not aware of any studies published on the diet of Burmese pythons in their
native lands. Burmese pythons in South Florida are recorded to have eaten a variety of vertebrate prey-birds, mammals, and even an alligator or two.
Most alligator-python interactions observed in the Everglades have been the alligator eating the python.
and biting. This is true for essentially all wild
snakes, no matter their size.
Burmese pythons are considered a
common species throughout much of their native range in southeastern China, Southeast
Asia, and Indonesia; for centuries the species
has coexisted in peaceful close proximity with
humans throughout its range. In the thousands of years of written history in that region,
we are not aware of a record of a Burmese python eating a human.
Is the Everglades suitable habitat for Burmese
pythons?
The ENP may be better habitat for
Burmese pythons than exists anywhere in
their native range. It seems an irony that the
dominant invasive plant growing on the dikes
and berms that crisscross the Everglades is
called Burma reed. It’s a tall cane that forms
thickets, and it’s a part of the native habitat of
Burmese pythons back in Southeast Asia.
When Burmese pythons arrived in ENP, they
found it welcoming.
In ENP there are more than a million
acres of protected suitable habitat, mostly inaccessible to humans, with essentially only
one short road with low traffic cutting diagonally from the east side southwest to Flamingo. The ENP is the only place where Burmese
pythons don’t compete with humans for food.
Juvenile Burmese python, Python molurus
bivittatus.
Burmese pythons are not venomous
and not aggressive snakes. Pythons encountered in nature can be expected to defend
themselves with hissing, defecation, striking,
We predict that - protected from hunting, traffic, and farm equipment - Burmese pythons will grow to large proportions in the
Everglades. Every now and then, an immense
python will be discovered in the park. These
large pythons will receive a lot of media attention, at least until the public tires of the story.
They will be touted as monsters that the public should fear by the National Park Service (
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NPS ) employees and USGS invasivesnake biologists who will be wrestling
them in front of cameras.
These big adult Burmese pythons are not going to leave the park
and crawl to Miami, although a number of governmental “authorities”
have implied that. These big snakes
don’t move far. They have obviously
found a good place to live, evidenced
by their size, and they are staying
there. The large established snakes
breed, and it is their babies that travel
to find their own niche in the world.
The paradox is that nowhere
else in Florida is a good place to be a
python. The further away from ENP
that Burmese pythons spread, the
smaller they will be. There are strong
selective pressures against being a big snake.
For one thing, it takes longer to cross a road.
Bigger snakes have fewer places to hide.
Traffic, mechanized agriculture, poor
habitat, cooler temperatures, increased exposure to humans, all will serve to select for
small size once the pythons leave the ENP. We
predict that the average size of Burmese pythons outside the park will be dramatically
smaller. Most adults will be only six to ten feet
in length, similar in size to the larger native
Florida snake species.
Who is responsible for Senate Bill 373 ( S. 373 )
to ban the importation and possession of pythons?
The establishment of a population of
Burmese pythons in South Florida has provided an opportunity for several entities to
advance their agendas - they will benefit if pythons can be made to appear as a serious
problem. Of course, it’s most effective if they
can make certain that the public knows it is a
really terrible problem.
Senator Bill Nelson, a Democratic legislator from Florida is responsible for S. 373, a
proposal to ban pythons by placing them on
the Injurious Species List of the Lacey Act. If
Senator Nelson can convince the United States
Congress that pythons are a SERIOUS
PROBLEM, he stands to make money for his
state and provide support for Everglades National Park. Money will flow into his state to
study the Burmese pythons that now are solidly established in South Florida.
A second entity is a group of USGS invasion biologists who specialize in snakes. A
significant percentage of their income is federal funding. The invasive-snake biologists figure that when the money comes rolling in to
study the python problem, they are going to
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be the recipients. They apparently want to
make their careers as the python fighters of
Florida.
Another entity consists of nongovernment environmental organizations. The
Defenders of Wildlife, Nature Conservancy,
and Humane Society of the United States (
HSUS ) all have expressed support for S. 373.
Removing exotic animals from captivity is a
goal of each of these organizations. Every year
and every legislative session, these and other
similar organizations work with sympathetic
legislators to remove animals from the American public. Senate Bill 373 strongly resembles
typical animal-rights regulation proposals.
Why did Senator Bill Nelson create S. 373, a
proposal that will place pythons on the Injurious Wildlife List of the Lacey Act?
Senator Nelson undoubtedly wants to
bring attention to what he sees or what he has
been told is the “plight” of the Everglades.
Senator Nelson has worked to convince
people that those pythons living quietly down
at the southern tip of his state will be spreading across the nation. If pythons could be
framed as a national problem, then maybe
federal funds will be made available to study
the problem.
S. 373 is a proposed federal law that
would ban pythons inside this nation, and if
passed would be some confirmation that pythons must be of national importance.
Senator Nelson claimed in a television
interview that he was going to warn the senators from other states that Florida pythons
were going to spread all the way west to California and north to Washington, D.C. He was
apparently unaware that the paper and the
map he referenced had already been completely discredited. Most authorities believe
that the eventual range of the pythons will be
the Everglades ecoregion.
In our opinion, Senator Nelson has
been misinformed - the researchers to whom
he has turned for information have little
knowledge of or experience with pythons. We
argue that these biologists have a conflict of
interest and lack of objectivity as they will
benefit if they can maximize the magnitude of
any problems that Burmese pythons might
present, real or hypothetical.
Senator Nelson’s proposed S. 373 is an
inappropriate national solution for what
amounts to a local state problem. The proposed law is, in its essence, an animal-rights
regulation that confiscates the rights of lawful
Americans to own animals.
Will passing S. 373 have any effect on the pythons in South Florida?
Of course not! Burmese pythons are in
the Everglades to stay. They are now a permanent member of the herpetofauna of Florida.
What is the result if S. 373 is passed?
S. 373 is poorly written and ambiguous;
the species it includes cannot be identified
with certainty. As written, the bill confuses
and misuses several taxonomic ranks. It could
be interpreted to include all pythons, a group
comprising 9 genera and 52 species and subspecies. It might be interpreted to apply only to
pythons that are classified in the genus Python. It might be that the Senator’s aim was to
specify only the Burmese python, in keeping
with a petition sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) by the South Florida Water Management District ( SFWMD ) in 2007 to
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initiate the procedure to place that taxon on
the Injurious Wildlife List.
If the bill is interpreted to include pythons in the genus Python, then that would include the following taxa: ball pythons ( P. regius ); blood pythons ( P. brongersmai ); Borneo pythons ( P. breitensteini ); Sumatran pythons ( P. curtus ); southwestern desert pythons ( P. anchietae ); Asian rock pythons, ( P.
molurus ); African pythons ( P. sebae ); southern African pythons ( P. natalensis ).
these pythons would not be able to sell,
breed, or transport the snakes, under penalty
of federal law. The snakes could not be entered into any type of commercial activity.
No attempt would be made to confiscate privately owned animals. That would be
impossible; neither the manpower to do it nor
the knowledge of where the animals are located currently exists. The animals would be
valueless, and current thought is that over the
years, not being bred, they would just die out.
The first five species of pythons listed
There is no consideration for the hunabove are small to medium-sized snakes that
dreds of thousands of owners of these snakes
are found in hundreds of thousands of Ameriwho suddenly can’t do anything with them.
can homes throughout the country - common
Hundreds of thousands of people have made
captives and absolutely harmless to humans.
significant investments of money, time, and
The last three in this list are
equipment with their pythons.
large species. The Burmese pyThe direct result of S. 373 would
Most people do not
thon is a subspecies of the Asian
be to destroy many successful
realize that the vast
rock python.
small businesses at a time of the
majority of all reptiles
worst economy in American hisin
captivity
are
The three large Python
tory. There will be foreclosures
captive-bred animals.
species do attain sufficiently
and bankruptcies resulting from
large size to pose some risk to
the passage of this proposal.
their keepers. However, a person is at least
100,000 times more likely to require a trip to
Just how many pythons are there in captivity?
the emergency room because of injuries from
a dog than from one of these large snakes.
No one knows how many pythons are
Consider that in the period of one month in
in captivity in the U.S. Based on what we do
early 2009 two children were killed by their
know about annual imports over the past 20
own family dogs in the San Antonio area.
years, survivorship and breeding success, we
feel that a conservative estimate of the total
The fact is that all large animals carry
number of pythons in captivity in this country
varying degrees of risk. Measured on a per cais around a million animals.
pita basis, the probability of injury or death
from large non-venomous snakes is the lowest
In fact, it’s possible that as many as a
of all large animals.
million ball pythons currently reside in the
United States. There may be more than 50,000
The Lacey Act provides some leeway
blood pythons in captivity. Borneo pythons
for differing interpretations from state to
and Burmese pythons also have large captive
state. However, the reality is that if pythons
populations numbering perhaps 20,000 to
are listed as injurious wildlife, the owners of
40,000. There are large self-sustaining captive
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populations of green pythons, carpet pythons,
centralian pythons, Children’s pythons, largeblotched pythons, spotted pythons, reticulated pythons, freckled pythons, and more.
Likewise, the number of people affected by this action is unknown. We have
found estimates of the number of American
homes with reptile pets that range from 4.4
million to 11 million. Pythons are among the
most common of all snakes in captivity, so it
does not seem unreasonable that at least
500,000 people would be affected by this proposed legislation, maybe more than a million.
That’s a lot of people very unhappy with the
government and legislators responsible for
this unwarranted and unkind violation of
American liberties.
Where do all these pythons
in captivity come from?
Can you imagine that with the economy in a shambles, unemployment and foreclosures rising, the embarrassing state of education, two wars, a war on drugs, most of the citizenry without health insurance, crime, pollution, and global warming (to name a few issues of the twenty-first century), that a committee of the U.S. Senate is taking the time to
consider whether or not people should have
snakes for pets?
Who are the invasive-snake biologists currently studying or planning to study Burmese pythons in Florida?
Invasion biology is a new branch of
science. It’s the study of exotic species of
plants and animals that have deleterious effects on ecosystems.
…they glossed over the fact
that if there is
significant global warming, all
of South Florida will be submerged under ocean water,
even much of Miami.
The overwhelming
majority of all pythons in
captivity are captive-bred
and -hatched. Most people
do not realize that the vast
majority of all reptiles in captivity are captivebred animals. Commercial breeding projects
have been successfully going on for the past
20 years.
What will happen to all of these pythons in
captivity if S. 373 passes?
Senator Nelson’s proposal has made no
provision for the safe and secure futures of
the snakes that suddenly will be made pariahs
by his proposal. Some may be euthanized;
some - perhaps many - could be released just
for spite. Some will be tended quietly until
they die. We suspect that many law-abiding
citizens will be made into criminals, breaking
the law by breeding and dealing.
There has only ever
been one “invasive snake”
and that is the brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis. It
probably was introduced to
the island of Guam back in
the 1940s when it arrived as
a stowaway in shipments of military equipment.
Guam was an important military base
in the Cold War, as it was home to Western
radar arrays that were pointed at the eastern
Soviet Union. The brown treesnake originally
came to the notice of the government because
its arboreal habits took it up into the power
lines and transformers where it caused thousands of electrical shorts, resulting in power
outages to military and civilian installations
over a period of several decades.
Several government agencies have
been involved in programs to control brown
treesnakes, the best funded being a USGS pro-
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gram headed by biologist Gordon Rodda. Rodda might end up as the administrator of the
Burmese python project if the USGS gains control of Burmese python research, as happened
in Guam.
After 25 years and tens of millions of
taxpayer dollars, the bottom line is that brown
treesnakes are just as plentiful in Guam as ever and they have eaten most of the native
wildlife. In fact, there are areas in Guam today
that have some of the densest known snake
populations in the world. The project received
at least a million dollars last year and will ask
for more this year.
In contrast to the USGS project, USDA
Wildlife Services was charged with carrying
out an integrated pest-management program
to deter the spread of brown tree-snakes from
Guam through military and commercial transportation routes, primarily to Hawaii. In the
process, they developed highly successful
tools and strategies that have resulted in no
brown treesnakes identified alive in Hawaii
since the program became fully operational.
This same government agency is able to work
on the Burmese python project in Florida if
funding is made available. They can apply their
focused and practical approaches to directly
addressing the python situation in South Florida.
The USGS invasive-snake biologists
have taken the lessons they learned in Guam
studying brown treesnakes, and now want to
apply that learning to the “python problem” in
Florida. Of course, what they learned was how
to get tax dollars to fund their research. Taxpayer dollars funded their visits to a tropical
island - their research and the research of their
graduate students; they made their careers at
taxpayer expense.
It is to their great advantage to inform
the public that Florida pythons are a terrible
menace to the American way of life. That is
because the real money comes from federal
funding. If the “python problem” applies only
to the Everglades, then the invasive-snake biologists would likely receive funding only from
the state of Florida. But what if Burmese pythons could spread across the country…?
To that end, three USGS biologists Rodda, Jarnevich and Reed - generated a now
discredited paper in 2008 in a journal called
Biological Invasions. The paper is a crystal ball
prediction complete with fancy colored maps,
and it foretells that Burmese pythons will
spread across the southern United States,
from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. To
make sure this sensationalist piece didn’t get
overlooked, Rodda issued several press releases - official USGS government press releases. The press releases were made before
the publication of the paper and before scientists had any chance to evaluate it. They went
viral online, and for a few days dominated television, radio, and print media, too.
Even though this paper was quickly
criticized and discredited in print by multiple
publications, the fallacious statement that
Burmese pythons could spread through the
southern USA had opened Pandora ’s Box and
became indelibly etched in the public and political consciousness.
In the following weeks, Rodda and other invasive-snake biologists were interviewed
by countless publicity and media outlets. They
claimed that pythons would endanger everything from beavers to dogs to grandmothers
as they cut a swath of ecological destruction
across the country.
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One has only to “google”
ologists combined, but not one
Why
would
the
USGS
the term “Burmese python
has been consulted in this matinvasive-snake
Everglades” to see these riditer.
culous claims and threats rebiologists want to kill
peated over and over in video
Is the Burmese python an invathe goose that lays
clips and print articles throughsive species?
golden eggs?
out the mainstream media. Apparently if a lie is repeated ofNo. We have it on presiten enough, it becomes the truth no matter
dential authority that the Burmese python in
how big a lie it was to start with.
Florida is not an invasive species. They can be
correctly identified as an “exotic species,” or
Will the pythons spread if there is global
an “established exotic,” a “non-native spewarming?
cies,” or even an “alien species.” They are not
by legal definition an invasive species.
Rodda et al. not only foretold the
spread of pythons in the near future, they
Presidential Order 13112, signed into
pushed their predictions even farther into the
law by President Bill Clinton on February 3,
future and warned that global warming would
1999, and titled Invasive Species, provides the
increase the potential favorable climate for
following definition * Section 1 (f) +: “invasive
pythons in the United States.
species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or
However, they glossed over the fact
environmental harm, or harm to human
that if there is significant global warming, all
health.”
of South Florida will be submerged under
ocean water, even much of Miami. All of the
To date the Burmese python has not
Everglades will be a marine park and no moncaused harm to humans, environment or agriey, not even a government bailout, will save it.
culture. All vertebrate species in Florida that
currently are recognized as endangered or
Are the invasive-snake biologists experts on
threatened had received such status long bepythons?
fore Burmese pythons came onto the scene.
By the book, the Burmese python is not an inThe invasive-snake biologists may be
vasive species.
experts on brown treesnakes, but from what
we have seen, they have very little experience
Why do the invasive-snake biologists refer to
with pythons. Some of the public statements
the Burmese python as an invasive species if it
made to the media sound more like they were
is not?
the consultants for the movies Anaconda and
Snakes on a Plane than calm, knowledgeable
Maybe a species has to be identified as
scientists.
“invasive” before funding is available for invasive-snake biologists to study it. Since most
Many individuals in the private reptile
people don’t know there is a difference becommunity have more experience with pytween an exotic species and an invasive spethons than all of the USGS invasive-snake bicies, the invasive-snake biologists apparently
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feel free to call it what benefits them the
most.
Will the invasive-snake biologists be able to
eradicate Burmese pythons from South Florida?
Of course not! - in the past 25 years,
with tens of millions of dollars, the USGS invasive-snake biologists couldn’t control brown
treesnakes on the densely populated island of
Guam, much less eradicate them. The ENP is
an area ten times larger than Guam and most
of it is inaccessible on foot or by wheeled vehicle. The historic Everglades area is more
than 20 times larger than Guam. Burmese pythons are firmly established in the area.
Why would the USGS invasive-snake
biologists want to kill the goose that lays golden eggs? As soon as the problem is “fixed,”
the funding money dries up. Look at their history in Guam. They perpetuated their existence by convincing funding sources of the importance of arcane and superfluous research
without practically and effectively addressing
the problem at hand.
many international locales, including Florida
and Hawaii, apparently traveling in flowerpots. The Florida banded watersnake was purposely introduced to a small resaca in South
Texas and 50 years later there remains a small
quiet population. For about 40 years a very
small population of boa constrictors has lived
in a stand of trees in a small park in Miami.
These species have not created any known
eco-destruction.
The brown treesnake is a special case.
Guam was an island without predators. Not
only was there nothing native on the island
that would eat brown treesnakes, the other
species native to the island had evolved in the
absence of predators. The only vertebrates on
the island were birds, geckos, skinks, bats, and
introduced mice and rats - all preferred dietary
items of the introduced snakes.
The snakes ate most of the species on
the island while the invasive-snake biologists
watched. Brown treesnakes became the poster-child for the crusaders against invasive vertebrate species.
That is the lesson that the brown treesnakes in
Guam should have taught us, the taxpayers.
Whatever the future holds for the
Burmese python in South Florida, it will not
follow the path of the brown treesnake. The
historic Everglades is an area replete with all
manner of snake-eating predators, and all potential prey items have also evolved in the
presence of ophidian predators.
How many nonnative snake species are established in the country?
Is it a fact that pythons in the Everglades are a
terrible ecological problem?
There are few successful snake introductions anywhere in the world. Snakes apparently aren’t very good at it.
No, it truly is not yet known what
changes or problems the pythons in South
Florida will cause. At this point in time, Burmese pythons are just one of the thousands of
established exotic species in South Florida.
They are predators, and we know that they, in
It will be a waste of taxpayer money to
spend one dime on the promise of eradicating
Burmese pythons from the Ever glades.
The Brahminy wormsnake, a tiny
worm-sized burrower, has been spread to
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turn, also have predators at all age and size
classes.
is a formally listed endangered species (even
though it actually is only a subspecies.)
The ecology of the Everglades is in constant flux and has been for at least the past
century. It remains to be seen if the presence
of Burmese pythons will have any significant
effect on the Everglades beyond what already
is at play there. Remember, this already is the
area of the world with the most introduced
non-native species.
The Key Largo woodrat is a subspecies
of the common and widespread Florida woodrat, also called a “packrat.” At one time the
rat was found over the entire island; the population numbered in the hundreds of thousands. The population crashed due to traffic,
predation by cats and dogs, loss of habitat due
to rampant over-development, and all of the
other problems that come with the human development and overpopulation of a tropical
paradise.
Could they prey on endangered or
threatened species? Yes, certainly that is possible. But, in turn, pythons will likely be identified as significant predators of feral cats and
young feral hogs, both identified as detrimental invasive species in the Everglades.
Key Largo has an unusually large population of feral cats. In fact, a well-to-do neighborhood next-door to Crocodile Lake National
Wildlife Refuge purposely feeds and supports
a colony of hundreds of feral
cats. These cats are undoub…even at this point, the
tedly the major predators of
outcome is known and it
woodrats.
It may be that Burmese
pythons become a valuable resource. As is true for alligators,
the hide of pythons has value;
python skins are commercially
is certain.
harvested through-out their
A few years ago the
native ranges. Just as iguanas in Miami are
population of Key Largo woodrats had
harvested for meat, many cultures consider
dropped to an estimated 25 individuals.
python to be a delicacy.
With a large grant of money ( millions ),
What Burmese pythons are is an unexa largely unsuccessful attempt was made to
pected change, a new factor in the ecology of
improve the woodrat habitat in Crocodile Lake
an already highly modified ecosystem. It is a
National Wildlife Refuge, a protected area on
fact that they are in the Everglades to stay, a
the northeastern half of Key Largo, site of the
permanent addition to the herpetofauna of
last remaining woodrats. The population toFlorida.
day is estimated at a hundred woodrats or so.
What about that cute little rodent that was
eaten by a Burmese python?
Two Key Largo woodrats were found in
the stomach of a Burmese python that somehow had gotten from mainland Florida several
miles across Florida Bay to Key Largo. This rat
So when one Burmese python ate two
at a meal, alarms bells went off. It was repeated over and over - these alien pythons are
about to eradicate a unique taxon of rodent!
Of course, this ignores the fact that people (
and feral cats ) have already eradicated about
99.99% of all Key Largo woodrats.
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Adult Burmese pythons eat feral cats.
But it will take the hatching of only one clutch
of Burmese python eggs in or near rat habitat
in Crocodile Lake NWR to draw the curtain on
Key Largo woodrats. Those 40 little hatchling
pythons will eat every woodrat in short time.
thought “what the hell do they know; we’ve
done everything we can.” But they have not.
On the day that rat dies, the USGS invasive-snake biologists will immediately
double their requests for funding and as a result of Burmese pythons now being “known
species-killers,” they will probably get all the
money they request and more. Forget the fact
that most of our representatives couldn’t tell a
woodrat from a hamster. No red-blooded
American legislator wants to be accused of inaction while an alien invader is consuming our
endangered species.
Will Burmese pythons eat dogs?
It’s a matter of priorities. If Key Largo
woodrats are truly important and if we want
future generations of kids and biologists to be
able to experience them as living creatures,
It is our sad belief that
then it is time to catch every
most of the USGS invasivelast one of them and put
Never before have
snake biologists are impatiently
them in cages with exercise
pictures
of
two
dead
and
waiting for this moment. Never
wheels; create two or three
rotting
animals
been
so
mind that the Key Largo woocolonies, each managed by a
popular online.
drat has been swirling the bowl
commercial rodent breeder;
for a decade and that, snakes or
remove the endangered stano snakes, it already is functionally extinct.
tus; and let them be commercially bred. It will
cost a fraction of the money that has already
The day that the Burmese python eats
been spent, and it will ensure that this rodent
that last rat, those USGS invasive-snake biolowill survive into the future.
gists are going to compose a tear-jerking press
release that says “Alien Python Causes ExtincOn the other hand, if these rats are left
tion of Endangered Species.” There will be a
in their ( semi-) wild state, they are doomed.
close-up picture of the cute little fuzzy bigThey will go extinct. If the object is to study
eyed rat.
how they go extinct, this is a ready-made
classroom. But let there be no misunderstandWhat they won’t broadcast is “We
ing - even at this point, the outcome is known
Knew It Was Going to Happen and We Didn’t
and it is certain. Let no tears be shed when the
Do Anything to Stop It.”
rat passes.
Right now, after reading the past two
paragraphs, all the biologists and researchers
in South Florida involved in the “Key Largo
woodrat recovery project” have paused and
Unlike alligators, Burmese pythons really don’t like to eat dogs. It has happened, it
might happen again, but most Burmese pythons act terrified and try to flee if confronted
by even a small terrier. They do eat cats, however.
In the natural range of the Burmese python there are a number of small and medium-sized wild feline species. Based on captive behavior and stomach-content analysis of
wild Florida pythons, there seems no doubt
that in their native range Burmese pythons eat
cats—they may be cat specialists.
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However, the dominant canine species
in the native range of the Burmese python was
the dhole. The dhole is a pack animal, a social
wild dog species that lived and hunted in large
packs of over a hundred dholes. At least it
used to, back before it was hunted to near extinction. Then there was no such thing as a solitary dhole - when a Burmese python encountered a dhole, it didn’t go well for the python.
The dholes were known to attack and kill tigers and buffalo, overwhelming them with
numbers. It seems logical that the reason why
most Burmese pythons show no interest in
eating dogs is that canine avoidance is a survival instinct.
Can Burmese pythons eat Florida panthers?
number of panthers still roam Florida, but
even with Texas genes, the population is
dwindling - a dozen or more are killed every
year on the highways.
You better believe that if the rat is
going to get a press-release memorial to mark
its passing, then if that last panther happens
to be eaten by a python, there will be helicopter coverage and satellite images. The invasive-snake biologists will be so grateful that
they will use some of their federal funding to
erect a marble cenotaph in memory of that
great python.
What about “Python Pete,” the pythonhunting beagle?
Maybe, if they can find one. Pythons in
the Everglades are recorded to have eaten
bobcats and feral house cats. A Florida panther is a possibility, if the python is big enough.
The problem is that there are panthers living
in Florida, but they are not “Florida panthers”
- not the real thing. The real thing was probably wiped out when conservation biologists
imported Texas mountain lions into Florida,
with the stated aim of strengthening the Florida panthers by interbreeding them to the Texas lineage.
Python Pete is a publicity stunt. Oh,
there really is a cute beagle named Pete who
was trained to follow the scent of a python.
He even has his own website. However, after
three years, Pete has yet to find a single python.
Perhaps they got the idea from the fishery biologists of other states who for decades have imported Florida large-mouth bass
and released them into their waters to “improve” the genetics of the native fish. * The
irony of government biologists making exotic
introductions is not lost on us, but they do it
all the time. ]
Mostly Pete and his handler do media
events to tell the public about the terrible python problem.
The decision to outcross panthers was
made because even 20 years ago it was obvious that the Florida race was doomed. The
purity of the bloodlines was lost. A small
It seems a curious coincidence that one
of the persons who will benefit the most from
federal funding to fight the python problem
would be the one passenger in the helicopter
Service biologist stationed in the Everglades and the on-site biologist most involved
with Burmese pythons, and pilot Mike Barron
happened to notice the carcasses as they flew
over the swamp. After
What is the story of the famous picture taken
in the ENP of the dead headless 13-foot python, ripped open with a 6-foot alligator hanging halfway out of its body?
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flying over the enormity of the ENP that just
happened to pass right over this very bizarre
scene. Dr. Skip Snow, the National Park
ing this absolutely extraordinary discovery,
they flew back to base and retrieved a
al Geographic photographer who was
ently just waiting around until someone could
find him something to shoot. They returned
and took the photos that shook the Internet.
Never before have pictures of two dead
ting animals been so popular online.
From the comments and reactions of
biologists and conservationists in Florida, you
would have thought that a rottweiler had just
torn their kitten apart on the front lawn. For
years biologists and conservationists have
worried about the overpopulation of alligators
in Florida - they even allow hunting them.
Then a python comes along, eats an alligator,
and suddenly it’s the apocalypse for Florida
gators.
CSI would have had a field day investigating this apparent gator-cide. It wasn’t the
simple eat-and-disappear act of predation typical of pythons. For one thing, the head of the
python was missing. A careful survey of the
area did not turn up the missing head, so it
probably didn’t fall off. It almost certainly was
ripped off by an even larger gator.
The head of the dead gator, crammed
headfirst into the split-open gut of the dead
python, was either slightly digested or maybe
just decomposed and picked clean by aquatic
organisms. Interestingly, it was reported that
the bones in the head of the ingested gator
were crushed; that’s not a python wound and
it’s a pretty mysterious clue. We can find no
mention of the proximity of the crime scene to
a road, but perhaps the python ate a roadkilled gator? It might have been a smaller gator killed by a larger gator.
Of course, it’s also possible that some
prankster stuck the nose of a road-killed gator
in a gash into the body cavity of a dead python
and positioned it on an exposed bank along a
flight path. The biologists who investigated
the scene reported that it seemed strange that
vultures, plentiful throughout ENP, had not
taken a single bite out of the decomposing
bodies of the two dead reptiles. In the words
of Dr. Stephen Secor, one of the investigating
biologists, “We will never know exactly what
happened in September 2005 in the struggle
between python and alligator; it will always
remain a mystery.”
Is South Florida made more dangerous by the
presence of Burmese pythons?
Come on - it’s South Florida, home of
Miami Vice and Scarface! We know all about
South Florida from television and the news
media, just like we know all about pythons
from television and the news media.
Those USGS invasive-snake biologists,
Senator Nelson, and the environmentalists all
are doing their best to implant the perception
of hazard into the consciousness of the public
with statements like “now a new carnivorous
reptile predator is vying for the slot of top
predator in the swamp” and “it won’t be long
before this giant snake will be found in backyards and canals all through Miami.” It
amounts to a government campaign to create
fear and the media is not even questioning the
statements that are made.
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Let’s be realistic here
humans came along and
South
Florida
is
already
a
- all the waterways of the
messed everything up.
place where you keep the dog
Everglades and, for that
matter, all of Florida are alThere are all degrees
on a leash and an eye on all
ready ruled by a giant carnias to just how strongly and
small kids.
vorous reptile predator that
zealously these views are
can weigh over a thousand pounds. More than
held. Depending on the group, there are envi1.5 million gators are in Florida.
ronmentalists who don’t like Texas antelope
ranching, agriculture, hunting, translocating
Alligators live in the cities, they prowl
game fish, landscaping with nonnative plants,
the canals and the backyards, they are found
logging, or the tropical fish industry. If it has
in people’s swimming pools, they eat dogs, ocanything to do with changes to an ecosystem,
casionally they kill people, and they eat Buryou can be certain that there is an environmese pythons. South Florida is already a place
mental organization that disapproves of what
where you keep the dog on a leash and an eye
you are doing. To borrow a term from Woody
on all small kids.
Allen, they are “polymorphously perverse.” By
having many organizations, they cover all the
Based on the history of Burmese pybases.
thons and humans in their native lands, and
considering the dangers of South Florida in
Changes to an ecosystem include the
general, it’s difficult to imagine how Burmese
introduction of new species, usually referred
pythons are going to make life more hazardto as “alien” or “invasive” because those laous than it already is.
bels make the issue sound so much more serious. We xenophobic humans certainly do not
What about statements that the Burmese pywant to be invaded by aliens.
thon is now the apex predator in the Everglades?
In this case, environmentalists don’t
like kids and keepers who maintain nonnative
Anyone making that statement has
snakes and other reptiles in their homes as a
been listening to the USGS invasive-snake bihobby, a business, or a passing interest. Those
ologists. They like to say it a lot. Apparently
animals might get loose and become invasive.
they forgot about alligators.
The environmental movement is well
How are environmental organizations involved
financed. They are a powerful lobbying force
in all of this?
at every level of government. It hasn’t hurt
that for years they have contributed to the
There are a number of well-organized
campaigns of sympathetic legislators. As soon
and well-funded national groups that come
as the new administration came to Washingunder the umbrella of the environmental
ton, D.C., the environmental groups called in
movement. The underlying philosophy is, in
their chits from the Democratic legislators
essence, that Mother Earth, ( “Gaia,” as many
with whom they have been friendly.
environmentalists affectionately refer to her )
and all her ecosystems were just perfect until
Environmental groups and animalrights groups ( two ends of a continuum ) have
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Page 33
endorsed Senator Nelson’s proposal that will
place pythons on the Injurious Wildlife List,
amending the Lacey Act. This bill, mentioned
earlier, is identified as S. 373. Surely they do
not realize the content and far-reaching consequences of this proposal.
What is the value of captivity from the view of
conservation?
Does an example of conservation in captivity
exist?
One of the greatest achievements of
conservation in the past 20 years has been the
establishment of several hundred species of
reptiles in viable, self-sustaining, captive
populations maintained by private herpetoculturists. This has been accomplished with a decentralized, non-governmental, economically
driven model of conservation.
It was in the late 1960s that we first
heard the saying, “better extinct than in capNot one penny of American taxes has gone to
tivity.” We have heard it repeated by biolothe foundation of these colonies of animals,
gists, conservationists and environmentalists
yet there they are. Some of these species are
up to the present. We are shocked and reso rare that the number of captive-bred indipulsed by the hubris of that
viduals far exceeds the total
statement. Captivity must
number of specimens ever
One
of
the
greatest
achievenow be accepted as a viable
observed in the wild. A
and important alternative
number of these animals
ments of conservation in the
to extinction.
are highly endangered,
past 20 years has been the esmost notably the Asian turtablishment of several hunIt is a matter of pretles - some may be extinct
serving life on earth as we
in nature.
dred species of reptiles in viaknow it by any means possble, self-sustaining, captive
ible. The rate of extinction
Yes. Quietly and with
populations
maintained
by
on our planet is unprecelittle fanfare, the past 35
dented and accelerating. Esyears have seen dramatic
private herpetoculturists.
timated rate of loss is curadvances and achievements
rently somewhere between
in the maintenance of repseveral dozen to several hundred species
tiles in captivity. A significant percentage of all
every day due to anthropogenic causes.
reptile species have now been bred in captivity. There is little doubt that it is possible to
It’s desirable to maintain biodiversity
create ancillary captive colonies of any reptile
within the framework of ecosystems; we make
species, following the model that has been
no argument against that point. However, the
created by private businesses and hobbyists.
ongoing degradation of ecosystems leaves
some species without a place in nature. When
No other group of vertebrate animals is
possible, such species must be maintained in
so well established in captivity as are reptiles.
captivity.
Many reptile species, by every measure and
definition, could be considered as domestic
That is the responsibility of this generaanimals. Fifty-one of the 52 species and substion to future generations.
pecies of pythons in the world have been bred
in captivity and over 35 are now maintained in
viable, self-sustaining captive populations.
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Page 34
The legislative proposal S. 373 would
destroy what has been accomplished for pythons, apparently with the blessings of government biologists, Senator Nelson, Defenders
of Wildlife and HSUS.
It is our most fervent hope that
thoughtful representatives in the Congress
and President Obama will not support this
baseless, punitive and radical bill.
What is the value of a viable, self-sustaining,
captive population of reptiles if the species is
not endangered?
Not endangered today does not mean
not endangered tomorrow. One has only to
look at the dim future of many amphibians that is, those that have not recently gone extinct - to imagine the different futures so
many species might have, had they already
been maintained in ancillary captive populations.
The catastrophic plight of amphibians
today is a stirring example of the consequences of a blanket policy that “animals
should only be in their native habitat,” a philosophy endorsed by many in the environmental, conservation and animal-rights movements. At best such a misguided policy sidesteps serious issues of responsibility, and it is
guilty of pure negligence at its worst.
Are the invasive-snake biologists and
environmentalists so prescient that they can
say that pythons or any other group of reptiles
will not suffer a similar worldwide population
crash, a Modern Age extinction event of unprecedented scale?
Now the World Association of Zoos and
Aquariums ( WAZA ) has united in a joint
project with the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) to create Amphibian Ark ( AArk ) in a desperate attempt to
save a few dozen frog and salamander species.
Much of the major funding has been provided
by zoos, and that means that tax dollars are
being spent on this project. The motto is “the
world’s amphibians safe in nature,” but the
reality is that they are not safe in nature; AArk
is attempting to set up captive populations of
amphibians. This is a strong endorsement of
the value of ancillary captive populations as a
valuable conservation tool.
The goal of AArk is exactly what the
private reptile keepers and breeders in this
country have already accomplished for reptiles.
It’s unfortunate, but the AArk initiative
started about 10 years too late. The time to
set up ancillary captive populations of animals
is before they are swirling the bowl.
Are the Burmese pythons in South Florida pets
that were released by irresponsible pet owners?
During the 22-year period from the first
sighting in 1979 through 2000, a total of 8 pythons were collected in the area of the park;
four others were observed. It’s certainly possible that those few snakes might have been
escaped or released pets.
Twelve snakes in 22 years is an average
of about one snake every other year.
Considering that the Miami metropolitan area has a population of millions of
people, is one of the two main ports of entry
in the USA for imported exotic reptiles, has
more exotic animal dealers and distributors
than any other city, that keeping reptiles is
particularly popular in South Florida, and that
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Page 35
all of this is right next door to ENP, it certainly
seems possible that a half-dozen snakes every
decade could have ended up in the wilds of
South Florida.
Of course, the strategy is to charge that
“python owners are irresponsible” and therefore it would be defendable to remove
thons from captivity everywhere.
However, from 2001 to the present,
more than 900 Burmese pythons have been
collected and observed in South Florida. Anyone implying that this increase in the numbers
of Burmese pythons is from animals brought
to the park by irresponsible pet owners is either terribly our deluded or is purposely trying
to create a red herring.
The proposed S. 373 then is based, at
least in part, on the premise that if one python
owner every two years is irresponsible or unlucky enough to break several already existing
laws by releasing an exotic pet ( even though
this has not been proven and is far from certain ), then all keepers in the nation should
lose their rights to pursue their interests and
hobbies. That is a travesty of justice.
In fact, pet owners continue to be accused even though there is research funded by
and presented to the SFWMD that convincingly suggests that, based on the genetic characterization of 150 Burmese pythons collected in
and around the ENP, all of the ENP pythons
are very closely related, possibly all descended
from as few as a single pair of snakes. This is
compelling evidence that the increasing numbers of ENP Burmese pythons are neither randomly released “pets” nor the offspring of
some large number of randomly released pets.
The genetics report submitted to
SFWMD is authored by Timothy Collins and
Barbie Freeman from Florida International
University, and Skip Snow, the NPS biologist in
the Everglades. The conclusions of the 2008
final report have been known for several
years, but were not released, citing that it
could not be released as it was based on the
unpublished thesis research of a graduate student. But the USGS invasive-snake biologists
knew all about it. The report is available by
request to SFWMD.
We find it troubling that even with this
evidence in hand, the USGS invasive-snake biologists and Senator Nelson continue to accuse pet owners.
Where did the pythons in South Florida come
from?
It is a violation of state law in Florida to
release an exotic animal. So far as we have
been able to learn, no one has ever been
charged with releasing a Burmese python anywhere in Florida. The ENP is patrolled day
and night by Immigration, State Troopers, and
National Park Service - no person has been observed to release a python in the park.
Of course, it is possible that some misguided novice snake keeper purposely took his
Burmese python out into the swamp and set it
free. There is no record of it, but it might have
happened. But there are several reasons why
this doesn’t seem very likely to be the source
of the wild population.
One is that pythons cost money - they
have value - and when keepers get tired of the
snakes in their collections, those snakes are
sold, not released. In our combined 75 years of
experience in the snake community, it is observation that it is a rare event for an exotic
snake to be released.
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Page 36
Another reason is that
source for imported baby Bur…when
keepers
get
any pet owner who did release a
mese pythons since 1994. So the
tired of the snakes in
python would release a large
Burmese pythons that founded
snake that had outgrown its cirthe present population were altheir collections, those
cumstances, not a baby. Older
most certainly baby Burmese pysnakes are sold, not recaptive-raised snakes generally
thons imported before 1994.
leased.
do not survive long when reThere just happens to be that
leased. It’s probably because
exact combination of factors.
they haven’t learned what is necessary to
avoid trouble and they don’t know the area.
Based on all these clues, including the
Large size is a terrible liability to any snake in
chronology of the recent python population
the best of cases, and a released large, capboom in ENP, we propose that the growing
tive-raised snake rarely is able to prosper. It is
population of Burmese pythons is descended
baby snakes that are the colonizers - and it’s
from juvenile pythons released into the Everhard to imagine who would purposely release
glades along with almost every other surviving
baby snakes. It’s the baby pythons that have
animal when Hurricane Andrew devastated
the most value to the wholesalers and distribSouth Florida in August of 1992.
utors.
It was the worst hurricane in the histoOther evidence that the wild pythons
ry of an area famous for hurricanes. The storm
are not descended from captive populations is
hit South Florida from the east, the eye went
that Burmese pythons with unusual color and
through the middle of ENP, and the hardest
pattern mutations have not been recovered
winds were north of Florida City blowing to
from the wilds of South Florida - all of the pythe west with gusts over 150 mph, straight inthons have been normal. These days it’s diffito ENP. Immediately afterwards, South Florida
cult to purchase a captive-bred Burmese pylooked as if it had been carpet-bombed.
thon that is not an unusual color morph or heterozygous for some unusual color or pattern
South Florida is the epicenter of the
mutation. [ Watch, now that this has been
imported exotic plant and animal industry of
publicly stated, probably a whole string of althe United States. Scattered throughout Hobino Burmese pythons will show up. ]
mestead, Florida City, and South Miami there
were animal and plant businesses that were
A significant consideration is that the
destroyed, buildings literally blown apart and
genetic study funded by SFWMD demonstratthe contents blown straight into the ENP. We
ed that the Burmese python population in the
are told of one reptile import business in a
Everglades was not descended from the BurQuonset hut situated just outside the northmese pythons imported from Vietnam. They
western corner of ENP that had 900 baby
did not demonstrate from where the snakes
Burmese pythons on the day of the hurricane (
actually came, just that they weren’t from
and hundreds of other reptiles ) - the storm
Vietnam.
took it all right into the ENP, building and all.
That is one of several of which we are aware.
This is an important finding in the determination of the source of the Florida pyIt is our opinion that Hurricane Andthons. Vietnam has been essentially the sole
rew, a devastating natural disaster, was the
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Page 37
force that released Burmese pythons into
South Florida.
Why place Burmese pythons and other pythons on the Injurious Wildlife List?
The evidence is overwhelming that the
presence of the established, breeding population of Burmese pythons in Florida has
NOTHING to do with irresponsible pet owners.
In a word - power. Okay, two words power and money.
Why haven’t Burmese pythons established breeding
populations all across the
southern United States, as
deemed possible by Rodda
et al. in their range-expansion paper?
The brown treesnake is the
ONLY snake on the Injurious
Wildlife List. It’s also the only
snake on which the government has spent millions of
taxpayer dollars.
One can ask most fourth-grade snake
keepers why Burmese pythons can’t live in
Dallas or Oklahoma City and they will reply
that it is too cold. They are correct. If the algorithms and the computer models say otherwise, then bad data has been used - garbage
in, garbage out.
Florida keepers especially should resent the comments of the USGS invasive-snake
biologists and Senator Nelson. If ( as contend
Rodda et al.) Burmese pythons can survive anywhere in the southern third of the United
States from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco, and if ( as contend Senator Nelson and the
chorus of USGS invasive-snake biologists ) the
source of Burmese pythons in the wild is “irresponsible pet owners,” then it follows that
the presence of Burmese pythons in South
Florida is strong evidence that over the past 30
years Florida reptile keepers have been completely irresponsible. Elsewhere the absolute
absence of established populations of pythons
is evidence that all python keepers outside of
Florida must be the very epitome of careful
reptile keeping.
If pythons are placed on the
Injurious Wildlife List, then
only government biologists
and contracted biologists
will be able to say who gets
to work with pythons. They
get all the money and no
one can contradict their
work.
The brown treesnake is the ONLY snake
on the Injurious Wildlife List. It’s also the only
snake on which the government has spent millions of taxpayer dollars.
Placing pythons on the Injurious Wildlife List will do NOTHING towards solving the
“Burmese python problem” in Florida. But it
will cost taxpayers a fortune.
So what do the invasive-snake biologists plan
to do in the Everglades?
No one knows.
They can certainly conduct Burmese
python research whether or not the species is
placed on the Injurious Wildlife List.
It has been inferred that they will work
to eradicate the species, but considering their
lack of success after 25 years in Guam, that
seems an unlikely scenario.
Surely it is reasonable to request that
they make public their research plans and
goals for the management of pythons in South
Florida.
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Is there any action that might prevent still
more species of plants and animals from establishing in South Florida?
Yes, there is one very practical solution.
Miami is the primary American port of
entry for imported plants and animals, especially tropical plants and animals. Because of
this, Miami is full of and surrounded by wholesalers and distributors of exotic plants and animals. At any given time, an inventory of exotic
plants and animals with a cumulative value in
the hundreds of millions of dollars can be
found in Miami. Florida has made a lot of
money from the importation business. Every
shipment, every box, is stamped and cleared
by USFWS, Customs, and for some cargo, even
USDA.
Some plants and animals come into the
port and are nearly immediately shipped on to
other destinations in the United States. Others, including exotic trees, fruits, palms, cycads, vegetables, ornamental shrubberies, exotic grasses, reptiles, mammals, birds, and
tropical fish are maintained in South Florida
for commercial propagation, agriculture, and
captive breeding. Miami is seething with exotic species.
The problem is that South Florida has
the most tropical climate in the continental
United States. Many species of escaped plants
and animals thrive outside the nurseries and
cages of the distributors and wholesalers. Released and breeding in South Florida are literally thousands of species that can survive nowhere else in the United States. And it’s all
because Miami is the port of entry.
The solution is to remove the status of
the Port of Miami as an agricultural port and a
port of entry. Move the port of entry north,
maybe to one of the New England ports.
If Senator Nelson really believes that
exotic species are a terrible problem and if he
wants to remove the chance of future introduction of snakes or any other exotic species
into his beloved Everglades, then his choice is
clear. As the Senator from Florida, he needs to
spearhead a political movement to stop the
importation of more exotic plants and animals
into the Port of Miami. For the sake of nature
and on behalf of the environmentalists, he
needs to move this lucrative business out of
his state to a place where the chance of alien
invasion is minimized.
It isn’t going to happen. It would cost
Miami and Florida too much money and too
many jobs. But is it a better strategy to attack
the rights of hundreds of thousands of American snake owners, destroy thousands of successful American small businesses, and give
millions of tax dollars to the invasive-snake biologists?
Has the State of Florida taken action to prevent future problems resulting from releases
of pythons?
Yes. Florida spent several years hosting
committee meetings that included state and
federal biologists, conservationists, environmentalists, private reptile keepers, commercial breeders, and law enforcement officials in
order to design the very thorough set of laws
now in effect that require responsibility and
accountability on the part of the pet industry
and the reptile community. At the same time,
these laws respect the rights of individuals to
pursue their interests and businesses with reptiles, acknowledging the significant and important economic contributions that these entities make to the welfare of the state.
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Consider that there is NO NATIONAL
PROBLEM with pythons despite what the
USGS invasive-snake biologists are preaching.
The presence of Burmese pythons in South
Florida is a state issue. Federal legislation such
as has been proposed and now being considered is inappropriate and without basis. The
state of Florida is ably managing its responsibilities to its ecosystems and citizens. To suggest otherwise should be considered as insult
to the competence of the wildlife officials of
Florida.
What about banning imported reptiles, but
grandfathering what is already legally here?
This is an interesting proposition that
would find considerable support in the community of reptile keepers and breeders. This
action would raise alarms from importers and
distributors for the pet industry, as cheap imported reptiles are imported primarily for the
pet industry, not the reptile community.
Of course, placing a species on the Injurious Wildlife List is one means of banning importation. However, such action also goes further and bans the breeding, sales, and transport of that species. This action would damage
hundreds of thousands of citizens and destroy
the existing captive populations of reptiles. It
is not acceptable.
But a very successful law, a compromise, could be modeled after the Wild Bird
Conservation Act of 1992 which prohibits the
importation of certain wild bird species, including most parrots, from their native countries, but does not prohibit owning, breeding,
selling or transporting captive-bred birds already legally in the USA for decades.
A law tailored with the intent to accommodate already established populations
of reptiles and their keepers, with provisions
to allow the importation of important, specified breeding stock, would find significant
support in the reptile community.
To conclude:
We were sad to hear that Burmese pythons had become established in South Florida. When we first were made aware, we were
certain that this would be a giant issue played
out in the media, and that the voice of reason
would likely be muffled by the media excitement, focused on whoever wanted to talk
about disaster and danger. All of that has
come to pass.
The terrible legislative solution that has
been proposed in calculated response to a
campaign of purposeful fear-mongering and
propaganda desperately needs to be moderated by a conservative and objective assessment of what has actually happened, and
the reality of the disastrous consequences of
the proposal being considered. We fear that
all the decades of important work by reptile
keepers and professional herpetoculturists will
be pushed aside in the rush to “legislate for
the public good” when the legislation that is
considered is tyrannical, offensive, anticonservation, anti-education, and antiAmerican.
The media has been an accomplice in
the attempt to create hysteria from the “invasive giant pythons” story-line. In fact, it has
been our observation that much of the public
has been little more than amused by the half
truths and horror that was broadcast from
every media outlet when this story broke.
When we asked people around South Florida
what they thought of their neighborhood pythons, most just rolled their eyes. The decades
of educational talks given by reptile people
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have made a genuine contribution to the public perception of snakes; armed with the facts,
the public is not falling for the sensational
journalism.
We did not foresee the corruption and
deceit that we have witnessed from several of
the parties involved in the Florida python issue. By “corruption,” we do not mean to imply
that there has been bribery or other illegal behavior; rather we mean that a number of
these people have shown their inferior character and lack of integrity. Their actions have
been strictly self-serving and without thought
to the effect these actions might have on other people - in this case, hundreds of thousands
of people - their lives, their income, their freedoms. It’s shameful to see invasion biologists,
and senators work so hard to make people
afraid.
The “pythons on the loose” theme in
the media has provided momentum to keep
rolling the slow, steady removal of animals, all
types of animals, from American life. County
by county, city by city, state by state - there
has been a steady increase in the prohibition
of the possession of animals over the past 30
years. Agricultural guidelines turn into dangerous animal ordinances that turn into exotic
animal ordinances. When finally only dogs and
cats remain, then the numbers that are allowed to be possessed are restricted, no
breeding is allowed, penalties are imposed for
unsterilized pets.
The public cannot be expected to love
and support that which they fear or that with
which they are unfamiliar. Support for animals, support for ecology, support for national
parks and zoos, support for environmental
groups, support for nature in general - all will
wither and die if animals are removed from
the lives of people.
The invasion biologists could have done
all their work on Burmese pythons in the Everglades with the full support of the reptile
community. We were a ready-made cheering
section for them. The reptile community, especially python keepers, would have supported their work by any means available. Instead the invasion biologists attacked the keepers and hobbyists, they attacked the rights of
all American people, today and future generations.
There was and is no point in trying to
remove any captive populations of reptiles
from the reptile community across the country. There is no basis and no justification for
infringing on the rights of American animal
keepers. The presence of snakes in captivity
makes no difference on the pythons out in the
swamps.
The viable, self-sustaining, captive
populations of pythons and other snakes are
the life work of many people. Those populations are our gifts to future generations. For
many people in the future they will provide
their only contact with living snakes.
If it had been our choice, we would
never have allowed the release of Burmese
pythons to happen. However, it did happen,
likely born out of the ferocity of a storm, a
natural disaster. There it is, they are here and
we do not have any choice to make.
We do not feel that the presence of
Burmese pythons has in any way diminished
Everglades National Park. They are magnificent snakes. We will see how they adapt to a
new world, and how that world will react to
them.
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A linen postcard from the Miami Serpentarium, ca. 1950
A postcard from the Ragoon Zoo, ca. 1920
Burmese pythons in the London Zoo, 1927
Frankie La Marche and her
Burmese python, ca. 1910
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Gratefully reprinted with the permission of Dave and Tracey Barker
Vida Preciosa International, Inc.
P.O. Box 300, Boerne, TX 78006
Phone/fax: (830) 537-5000
Email: [email protected]
http://www.vpi.com/
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Wildlife experts question python numbers in Everglades
By KEITH MORELLI
In the dense woods, isolated
swamps and steamy hammocks of the
Florida Everglades, the battle for supremacy rages on, at least according
to dispatches from the front by federal and state authorities.
An alligator in the Everglades eats a python.
''Alligators are going to chew them up 99 percent of
the time,'' a reptile expert says.
- U.S National Park Service Photo
Now those dispatches that
claim tens of thousands — perhaps
even more than 100,000 — of the marauding Burmese python horde roam
the area, have come into question by
wildlife experts who say there can't
possibly be that many out there.
As the invasion enters its
fourth decade (the first python spotted there in 1979), some are beginning
to say the strength of the slithering
snake infantry is way overblown.
Wildlife experts and proponents of the exotic pet industry scoff at some estimates that there
are more than 100,000 pythons there, even though that was the number used by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in support of his bill to ban importation of pythons. Some government biologists have said there
could be as many as 140,000 pythons in the Everglades and surrounding areas.
Whatever the numbers, the gripping photos stick in people's memory; evidence that there is
a primal struggle for survival waged between the invaders and the natives, most notable of which is
the American alligator, whose bloodline has prowled the 4,300 square miles of the Everglades since
prehistoric times. Both are vying for the top prize: the first link of the food chain; the reptilian king of
the jungle.
And as the reptiles battle on, the estimates of the invaders' strength vary widely, depending
on who's doing the estimating.
Linda Friar, spokeswoman for the Everglades National Park, admitted there may be as few as
5,000 pythons loose in the area. Or there may be as many as 140,000. She said that some of the disparity stems from the area covered by estimates and who is giving the estimates. The Everglades Na-
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tional Park is 2,400 square miles, while the entire Everglades ecosystem encompasses 18,000 square
miles.
"Most folks tend to go to
the high range," she said. "But, it
all depends on who you are talking
to. It's just a best guess. There's no
empirical data. It's an elusive species, so we don't really know how
many there are. We do know that
they've adapted to the habitat.
"We know they are reproducing," she said. "We found nests
and hatchlings."
This a relatively famous “Internet” photo of a giant Burmese
python that supposedly had eaten a 6-foot alligator, and
both died as a result. It was “supposedly” taken in the everglades.
The first python nest was
found in 2006, she said. Python
nests have between 40 and 100
hatchlings, she said, and "that
makes us extremely concerned.
It's significant. Most exotic species don't tend to survive there.
It's a relatively harsh environment.
"We don't know what the
survival rate is," she said. "There are a number of things that eat hatchlings, like wading birds, alligators and other snakes."
As the fight for survival continues, the high estimates of python numbers vex some wildlife
experts.
There can't be hundreds — or even tens — of thousands of pythons, they say, or the snakes
would be crawling onto the decks of airboats and across hoods of cars cruising Alligator Alley.
"I've heard numbers of up to 200,000," said Vernon Yates, founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Seminole, "I'd like to know how they come up with that stupid exaggeration.
"I believe it's probably around 1,000," he said. "That would be more realistic."
But the squeamish public loves to picture the swamp awash in Burmese pythons. He said a
German television station recently came here and interviewed him about the notion abroad that the
Everglades is overrun with giant snapping, hissing serpents from Southeast Asia.
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"Let's assume that there are 150,000 pythons there," he said. "I'd bet there are not 150,000
alligators in the Everglades; not 150,000 deer in the Everglades; I know there's not even near that in
bears.
"But, you can go to the Everglades, see alligators, see deer, see bear; hell, you can even find
panthers," he said. "I drive over Alligator Alley a lot. Every time, I see five dead alligators at least."
But, he said, not the first python, dead or alive.
Even a single python loose in Florida is one too many, he said, but trapping them and then
killing them, which is what the trappers are required to do, goes too far, he said.
"I think it's a good idea to put a bounty on them, to go out and trap them," he said. "I have a
hard time saying every one collected has to die."
Yates, who himself has trapped pythons in the Tampa Bay region, has doubts about the
snakes' chances of survival in the 'Glades' harsh environment.
"I don't believe they are going to make it in the wild," he said. "They don't reproduce that
fast and young snakes are preyed upon by the myriad of birds and other animals there that keep
other snakes in check."
Joe Fauci, owner of Southeast Reptile Exchange, said he's heard from various sources that
there could be as many 180,000 pythons in the Everglades. He seriously doubts that.
"There are not 180,000 water snakes in the Everglades," he said. "I don't believe it."
He has no idea why people would inflate figures, unless there is money or fame to be made
through it somehow.
"I want to know how these guys can even make that estimate," he said. Pythons could not
survive in that environment, he said. His money is on the alligators and birds of prey.
While ospreys and eagles would munch on smaller pythons, the larger ones aren't safe either,
Fauci said.
"They would get eaten too," he said. "If a 12-foot Burmese swims in front of an 8-foot alligator he's going to get eaten up. Those alligators are going to chew them up 99 percent of the time. It's
a nice little meal."
National Park Service biologists say that in October 2005, 22 pythons were killed by tractors
tilling up the soil in one section of the preserve.
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In 2006, 122 pythons were documented in the Everglades and biologists estimated then that
there were more than 1,000. The increase was up considerably from the 11 pythons documented between 1995 and 2000.
Biologists say that before 1995, they had found only one in the big swamp and that was in
1979.
In July, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission authorized a handful of herpetologists to go on hunting sprees. They were given a free hand to conduct special operations missions into the wilds of the swamp to eliminate with extreme prejudice the invading hordes.
The first day, hunters found a 10-foot python and the second weekend, three python hatchlings. Since then, hunting has been off. Only about a dozen have been captured altogether, but the
hunters say safaris will be more fruitful when the weather cools and the snakes come out into the
open to sun themselves.
Biologists don't hold much hope for eliminating the species from the Everglades altogether,
according to a National Parks Service newsletter published in July.
But, they do want to control the species, to keep the python problem from worsening. State
and federal biologists are trying to cut the python population of South Florida to the "ecologically
extinct level – that is, to numbers so low that the species cannot play a significant role in ecosystem
functioning," the newsletter said.
"We'd then be dealing with nuisance pythons here and there," the publication said, "not pythons by the hundreds of thousands causing serious problems in geographically widespread areas."
The damage an invasive species like Burmese pythons can do to the Everglades is obvious,
said Friar of the National Park Service. Although the environment is harsh, the ecosystem is delicate.
"We have a large predator coming in that can disrupt the natural system of who eats whom,"
she said. "There is competition for food sources. The more you add to the competition, the more you
throw out of balance a pretty fragile system."
Looking to the future, biologists are wondering what other exotic animals are coming into the
state as pets that someday may find their way into the wild and take root.
"Some people just may not understand that it's not good to release these species into wild,"
she said. "They think they're sending them home.
"But, they don't' belong there."
Curbing the Python Population
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Biologists with the National Park Service have these suggestions on how to curb the growing
population of the invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades:

Establish partnerships to carry out control efforts. Currently agencies involved in the effort
include the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District, the University of Florida and the Savannah River Ecology Lab.

Concentrate on research that can predict where pythons congregate, making capture more
efficient. Biologists are conducting necropsies on pythons found in the Everglades to learn
what the snakes are eating. Some pythons released a few years ago, have implanted radio
transmitters to signal where they roam.

Make it easy for people to report the location of any pythons they encounter in the wild. The
park service already has a python hotline that the public can use to report python sightings in
parks. The number is (305) 242-7827 or (305) 815-2080.

Establish rapid response teams to deal with python problems. Such action can eliminate new
infestations before they can grow out of control.

Develop reliable ways to locate pythons, which move in densely vegetated or remote areas
and are well camouflaged. Some scientists suggest using dogs specially trained to pick up
trails of pythons from along roads or canal banks.

Use traps baited with attractants such as pheromones.

Encourage licensed hunters to shoot pythons on sight.

Pay bounties to people who capture or kill free-roaming pythons.

Promote responsible exotic pet ownership.
Reprinted from The Tampa Tribune / TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/04/040617/wildlife-experts-question-python-numberseverglade/
Published: September 4, 2009 - Accessed September 14, 2009
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New Black Frog Species Discovered
A team of scientists went on a midnight hike. Does this sound
like the beginning of a good joke? It’s not, but it is an interesting story. So the scientists and guides were wandering around the Cordillera
de Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica near the border with Panama
in the dark, doing transects to find various frogs, when they heard a
lot of unique frog calls going on. Dink! Tink!
They shone their flashlight inside a bromeliad, a tropical flowering relative of the pineapple that tends to fill up with water after a rain, and inside was a tiny black
female frog.
Herpetologist Gerardo Chaves and colleague Adrián García, both who work at the Zoology Museum at the University of Costa Rica, had never seen a frog like that before, and they realized they’d likely discovered a brand new species – a very cool feat for any scientist! They collected the frog and set out
to find more individuals. Just two centimeters long, the frog is a member of the tink frog group, most of
which have a clear bell-like call. The scientists brought some tissue samples back to geneticists Alejandro
Leal and Alejandro Mora at the University of Costa Rica who confirmed these frogs were indeed a previously unknown species.
The scientists named the new species Diasporus ventrimaculatus, which refers to the spotted belly of both male and female of the new species. They published their findings in the scientific journal Zootaxa. On a funny little side note, the journal editors needed convincing that the male and female indeed
belonged to the same species because they look so different. The females are all black, while the males
are mottled orange, red and grey-black. Chaves found this particularly unusual since the frogs come out
at night. Why should male and female have distinct coloration if they find one another by call? Another
question for further study.
All of these new tink frogs they found in a valley known as Valle de Silencio, and the biologists believe this frog is endemic there, possibly found nowhere else in the world. The valley lies a 12 hours walk
from the nearest town, and remains extremely remote and unexplored compared to many other locales
in Costa Rica. The frog's habitat is unusual because the valley lies above 8,200 feet elevation, which is
high – and cool – for a tink frog, or any frog for that matter. Most tink frogs live below 1,600 feet with the
highest elevation otherwise known for a tink frog being 6,600 feet. These frogs are also interesting because they do not have a tadpole stage but develop straight from the egg into a tiny frog.
Tropical Costa Rica has a rich herpetofauna, with around 186 amphibian species. And although
scientists have identified over 6,000 amphibians around the world, many are in dire straits, suffering
from declines from chitrid fungus, pesticides, habitat loss, and other threats. A full third of amphibian
species are threatened, endangered or extinct.
Downloaded from DiscoveryOn
http://www.discoveryon.info/2009/07/new-black-frog-species-discovered.html
July 15, 2009
Submitted by LIHS Member Deb Hoppe
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The Ratsnake Foundation
I received the following request from “The Ratsnake Foundation”. The following is the letter with the link to the Ratsnake Foundation and a survey they are conducting. For those of you who
wish to do the survey click on the link ( I have also included the questions found on their survey, so if
you want to look before taking the actual survey, feel free to do so ). Additionally, I have provided a
little background information on the Ratsnake Foundation.
~ Rich Meyer, Jr.
LIHS Editor
Dear Rich
The Ratsnake Foundation has set up a survey site, the aim of which is to gather information
on a variety of reptile related topics, the results of which will hopefully be of interest to many societies and individuals within herpetological societies. Subject matter can range from specific disciplines
to more general matters.
To start the ball rolling, we have launched this site with a 'Reptile Hobby Survey', covering
basic points regarding the hobby. Additional surveys will be added over time, if you have any suggestions for a specific survey and questions you'd like addressed, please contact our chairman via [email protected]
The site can be found at this web address: - http://www.reptilesurveys.info/
If you would like to take part in this project, you are welcome to publish the results in your
newsletters or other periodic publications, whether online or in print.
We hope to include as many organizations as possible, from general herpetological societies to those with a specialist interest. Help us to help you and share information for the benefit of
all.
Kind regards, Sue, Admin, The Ratsnake Foundation
PS - Could you please publish this request in your newsletter, the more people that this reaches, the
greater the potential input such surveys will have, thank you in advance.
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About “The Reptile Hobby Survey”
The Reptile Hobby Survey is owned and operated by The Ratsnake Foundation with cooperation of other Herpetological Societies Worldwide. This survey will attempt to collect data on
the Reptile Hobby Worldwide and will be active for one year. The results of the survey will be published on The Ratsnake Foundation and in the newsletters of other Herpetological Societies who
have joined us in this project.
There are 50 questions in this survey
Welcome to “The Reptile Hobby Survey”
With co-operation from: The Ratsnake Foundation, Central Florida Herpetological Society,
Nebraska Herpetological Society
A note on privacy: This survey is anonymous. The record kept of your survey responses does
not contain any identifying information about you unless a specific question in the survey has asked
for this. If you have responded to a survey that used an identifying token to allow you to access the
survey, you can rest assured that the identifying token is not kept with your responses. It is managed
in a separate database, and will only be updated to indicate that you have (or haven't) completed
this survey. There is no way of matching identification tokens with survey responses in this survey.
ABOUT the RATSNAKE FOUNDATION
http://www.ratsnakefoundation.org/index.php
WHAT THE RATSNAKE FOUNDATION IS ALL ABOUT: We hope to provide a platform for open
discussion and a cross flow of information about all aspects that exclusively concern 'ratsnakes'.
The term 'Ratsnake' is obviously one of dubious taxonomic value, an artificial pigeon hole
that certain groups of animals may fall into. Some people would describe some animals as racers
while others would happily proclaim them to be ratsnakes. The Foundations definition of 'ratsnakes'
are all animals that are currently or have been described as such, primarily concerning all species
formerly described as Elaphe in the tome written by Schulz, 'A Monograph of the Colubrid Snakes of
the Genus Elaphe ( Fitzinger )'. We are however, also open to the discussion of any other snake
commonly described as 'ratsnakes', such as Rhynchophis boulengeri ( Rhino ratsnake ), Ptyas, Spilotes & Spalerosophis species etc. in our eyes these snakes are also 'ratsnakes'.
If you have a desire to learn more about these species, we believe the Foundation will be a
benefit to you. If you have experience, data, observations of captive husbandry, taxonomy, field
work or anything to do with ratsnakes that you wish to share with like-minded people, we hope this
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site encourages you to do so. We hope to learn from your experience whether via posts on our forum or by submitting an article. Knowledge is power!
After the second year, any money raised over the annual running costs that aren't required
for future projects by the Foundation, shall be donated to a specific ratsnake conservation project
decided on by our membership. This we feel is a way we may give back a little something to the natural world.
The Reptile Hobby Survey - Part 1 ( % completed after each PART – You can SAVE to finish later )
1. What sex are you?
2. How old are you?
3. What country do you live in?
4. How long have you been keeping reptiles?
5. Where did you get the idea to start keeping reptiles?
6. What was your first reptile?
7. If a snake what type?
8. If a Lizard what type?
9. If a Chelonia what type?
10. What would be your dream reptile to add to your collection?
11. What would be your dream Ratsnake to add to your collection?
12. What word best describes you?
The Reptile Hobby Survey - Part 2
13. How many reptiles do you have in your collection?
14. How many Ratsnakes do you have in your collection?
15. How many different Snake species/subspecies do you keep?
16. How many different Lizard species/subspecies do you keep?
17. How many different Chelonia species/subspecies do you keep?
18. How many different Ratsnake species/subspecies do you keep?
19. Do you plan on expanding your collection more?
20. What species are you planning on adding to your collection next?
21. How do you buy most of your reptiles?
22. How do you buy most of your Ratsnakes?
23. How important is it to you to know the geographic location of the reptile you’re buying?
24. How important is it to you to know the genetic makeup of the reptiles you’re buying?
25. Where do you buy most of your reptile equipment?
26. Have you any plans in the future to subscribe to a magazine?
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27. Do you produce all your own rodents for your reptiles?
28. Which option best describes the availability of reptile food in your local area?
29. How would you rate the average quality of the rodents that you buy?
30. Which option best describes the growth of reptile keeping in your country over the last 5
years?
31. Which option best describes the growth of Ratsnake keeping in your country over the last 5
years?
32. Do you belong to a herpetological society?
33. Do you intend on joining one, if so which one?
34. Do you subscribe to any Reptile magazines?
35. Please list the magazines that you subscribe to?
36. Have you any plans in the future to subscribe to a magazine?
37. Do you belong to any online reptile communities such as the Ratsnake Foundation?
38. Do you participate in the forums and chatrooms?
39. Do you still visit these sites to see what’s happening?
40. Approx how many forums / online communities do you contribute to?
41. Which in your opinion is the best online community for information?
42. Which in your opinion is the best online community for friendliness?
43. Which in your opinion is the best online community for site features?
44. How do you access most of the information to solve your reptile husbandry problems?
45. How happy are you with the available information to help with the care and breeding of your
reptiles?
46. How happy are you with the available information to help with the care and breeding the
Ratsnakes you keep?
47. If you are not happy with the available information what do you see as a solution to this
problem?
48. Do you breed reptiles or keep them solely as pets?
49. What is the main way that you sell your hatchlings
50. How difficult is it for you to sell your different reptiles - on a scale of 1 to 10 ( 10 being very
easy and you sell all of them within 3 months of hatching. 1 being you find it very difficult to
sell them and usually have some left after 18 months? )
Continue to the Ratsnake Foundation
Takes you to the RATSNAKE FOUNDATION Homepage: http://www.ratsnakefoundation.org/
www.LIHS.org
Page 54
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Presents
A captivating exhibition showcasing more than 200 live frogs from around the world
Web: http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/?src=h_h
Admission***:



Adults: $24.00
Children (2-12): $14.00
Senior/Student with ID: $18.00
Timed entrance to Frogs is available every thirty minutes from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm daily. The last
timed-entry to the exhibition is at 4:30 pm.
An engaging, fact-filled exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History that features more
than 200 live frogs, including 9 species of colorful dart-poison frogs. On view from May 30, 2009,
through January 3, 2010, the exhibition explores the colorful and diverse world of these complex
amphibians by introducing visitors to their biology and evolution, their importance to ecosystems,
and the threats they face in the wild.
New to the exhibition this year are Amazon milk frogs. the females lay eggs in foam nests, created by
beating a frothy secretion into foam with their hind
legs, attached to branches overhanging the water;
and long-nosed horned frogs, which are camouflaged to mimic leaves.
The centerpiece of the exhibition - a 110-cubic-foot
dart-poison frog vivarium - showcases more than 70
dart-poison frogs. A soundscape featuring the calls
of more than 20 species fills this area with some of
the most unusual and bizarre vocalizations made
6+by these amphibians.
Ornate Horned Frog ( Ceratophrys ornate )
Joe McDonald, Clyde Peeling's Reptiland
www.LIHS.org
Page 55
Photos: ( Left ) Smokey Jungle Frog ( Leptodactylus pentadactylus )
Dave Northcott; ( Middle ) African Clawed Frog ( Xenopus laevis )
Courtesy of Clyde Peeling's Reptiland; ( Right ) Golden Mantella Frog
( Mantella aurantiaca ) John Netherton, Clyde Peeling's Reptiland
Frogs also features a diverse array of species from around the world, including American and African
bullfrogs, Chinese gliding frogs, ornate horned frogs, African clawed frogs, and fire-bellied toads (see
full list below).
Species Featured in Frogs: A Chorus of Colors







African bullfrogs (Pyxicephalus adspersus)
African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis)
Amazon milk frogs (Trachycephalus resinifictrix)
American bullfrogs and tadpoles (Lathobates catesbeianus)
Borneo eared frogs (Polypedates otilophus)
Chinese gliding frogs (Rhacophorus dennysi)
Dart poison frogs ( 12 species represented )







Long-nosed horned frogs (Megophrys nasuta)
Fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis)
Ornate horned frogs (Ceratophrys ornata)
Smokey jungle frogs (Leptodactylus pentadactylus)
Smooth-sided toads (Rhaebo guttatus)
Vietnamese mossy frogs (Theloderma corticale)
Waxy monkey frogs (Phyllomedusa sauvagii)
Hours: The Museum is open daily, 10 am –5:45 pm ( closed Thanksgiving and Christmas )
Admission*** : Suggested general admission, which supports the Museum’s scientific and educational endeavors and includes 46 Museum halls and the Rose Center for Earth and Space, is $15 (
adults ) suggested, $11 ( students/seniors ) suggested, $8.50 ( children ) suggested. All prices are subject to change. The Museum offers discounted combination ticket prices that include suggested general admission plus special exhibitions, IMAX films, and Space Shows.
Information: call 212-769-5100 or visit the Museum’s website at www.amnh.org or got to
http://www.amnh.org/museum/welcome/
Visitors can also explore the Frogs Shop located on the first floor of the Main Shop, just outside the
exit to Frogs. The Shop features a wide selection of whimsical frog-themed merchandise.
www.LIHS.org
Page 56
The Herp Marketplace
The Exo Terra Mayan Rainforest Habitat Kit, is an all-in-one reptile
terrarium package with a background design inspired by art found in
Mayan temples. Measuring 18x18x24 in. and made of black polystyrene,
each kit includes an Exo Terra Glass Terrarium and Compact Top, along
with a hygrometer, thermometer and water dish. Among the CentralAmerica-simulating items in the kit are Plantation Soil made of compressed coconut husk fiber, as well as plant accessories, such as the Large
Jungle Fern and Jungle Vines, according to the manufacturer.
Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp
www.exo-terra.com
“i-Turtle”: The Music Digging Reptile Speaker
For your favorite Turtle/Tortoise Keeper, “i-Turtle”: The
Music Digging Reptile Speaker
Simply connect your favorite audio player to the “iTurtle” speaker, and this audio friendly reptile will happily play
your music through his built-in speaker.
Or, you can put the shiny white turtle next to another
speaker and watch him “tap his foot along, bob his head and
raise his shell with synchronized lights that will flash to the
rhythm of the music”.
“i-TURTLE” communicates his moods through musical riffs, movement and tons of blinking
light patterns on his shell! He even whines when he’s hungry for more music or attention! “iTURTLE” loves to move and groove to your music, but watch out – flick its tail, and it won’t be happy! He may have a little shell, but he has a big sound! Requires 3 x AAA batteries ( Included ).
The “i-Turtle” speaker is available from the Hasbro Toy Shop website for $19.99, and through
most Brick and Mortar or On-line retailers.
www.LIHS.org
Page 57
The Herp Marketplace
Diamondback Trading Cards - Diamondback Trading Cards manufactures unique trading
cards for the natural history enthusiast of all
ages.
Watch their video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8wVCrNsnoI
to find out more about us or click around to browse current stock and upcoming releases.


Now Available: 'Reptiles Series 1', ‘SS – Alterna’, 'Frogs and Toads'
September 2009: 'Reptiles Series 2'

Coming Soon: 'Arthropods'
http://www.diamondbacktradingcards.com/Home
Natural Cricket Care with added vitamins and minerals is formulated to provide a nutrient-filled gut-load for the optimum health of crickets
and the herps that eat them. The product comes in 1 3/4 - and 10-oz. sizes,
and its particles come finely ground for all sizes of crickets, according to the
company. Zoo Med Laboratories Inc.
www.zoomed.com
Exo Terra’s Rock Outcrop offers a hiding place for stressed animals. The
hide has a faux-rock finish and a vertical orientation that maximizes space
and creates a basking area closer to the top screen of the terrarium, allowing reptiles to get nearer to the lights. The outcrop comes in three sizes:
small, 7 x 5.3 x 6.2 in.; medium, 9.5 x 5.5 x 8.5 in.; and large, 12.4 x 7.5 x
10.2 in. Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp.
www.exo-terra.com
www.LIHS.org
Page 58
MEETING DATES & INFORMATION
Meeting Dates
Speaker

September 20, 2009
TBD

October 11, 2009
TBD

November 15, 2009
TBD

December 20, 2009
HOLIDAY GET TOGETHER
MEMBERS ONLY

January 10, 2010
TBD

February 21, 2010
TBD

March 21, 2010
TBD

April 11, 2010
TBD

May 16, 2010
TBD

June 13, 2010
TBD
ALL Meetings ( unless otherwise noted ):
 are OPEN and FREE to the PUBLIC… Bring your friends and family.
 will start at 1:00 PM. They may end earlier than the 4:00 end time, so please be on time.
 will be held at the Farmingdale State College Conference Center on the SUNY Farmingdale
College Campus.
DIRECTIONS to SUNY Farmingdale: http://www.lihs.org/files/meetingplace.htm
 SUNY Farmingdale College Campus Map: http://www.lihs.org/files/FSUNY_MAP.jpg
Speakers will be updated as they are
scheduled. You will receive meeting
updates via email, the Herpetofauna
Journal, REMINDER POSTCARDS, or
for the most CURRENT INFORMATION
check the LIHS Website:
www.LIHS.org
www.LIHS.org
Page 59

Volume 19 Issue 4 - Long Island Herpetological Society

Transcription

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