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Five Giant Snakes We Should Worry AboutExplore more photos from the story |
Any report on invasive species is bound to have bad news, it seems, and a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey analyzing the threat from nine giant snake species is possibly even worse because we're talking about GIANT SNAKES (and I'm not generally scared of snakes). These snakes have already made their way here to the United States—as pets or hidden in cargo (Snakes on a Plane was NONFICTION?! -Ed.), usually—and pose a threat to the ecosystems where they might or have already become established. There are five identified as high risk (details below) and four medium risk species (reticulated python, DeSchauensee’s anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda). There are no low risks, the USGS notes, because all nine "share several traits that increase their risk of establishment, increase the damage they might do, or make eradication difficult." (Worryingly, the report notes that there are no control tools for eradicating these species once these have become established.)
Specifically, these snakes:
1. Grow rapidly to a large size (some individuals of these species surpass 20 feet in length and 200 pounds in weight);
2. Are habitat generalists (they can live in many kinds of habitats and have behaviors that allow them to escape freezing temperatures);
3. Are dietary generalists (can eat a variety of mammals, bird, and reptiles);
4. Are arboreal (tree-living) when young, which puts birds and arboreal mammals such as squirrels and bats at risk and provide another avenue for quick dispersal of the snakes;
5. Are tolerant of urbanization (can live in urban/suburban areas);
6. Are well-concealed “sit-and-wait” predators (difficult to detect, difficult to trap due to infrequent movements between hiding places);
7. Mature rapidly and produce many offspring (females can store sperm and fertilize their eggs—which in some of these snakes can number more than 100—when conditions are favorable for bearing young);
8. Achieve high population densities (greater impact on native wildlife); and
9. Serve as potential hosts for parasites and diseases of economic and human health significance. Had they not possessed these features, they might have constituted a low risk.
The five high risk species:
Burmese python (Python molurus) Native to: Southeast Asia, from Pakistan and India to China and Vietnam to Indonesia Size: on average, grows to 18 feet and 160 pounds Eats: terrestrial vertebrates, including lizards, birds and mammals; has been known to attack and kill humans U.S. states with suitable climate: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas Already established in: Florida, in the Everglades
Northern African python (Python sebae) Native to: central Africa from the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania to Mali and Mauritania, and north to Ethiopia and Eritrea; in arid regions, only near permanent water Size: a typical adult is around 16 feet Eats: antelopes, warthog, porcupine, caracal, birds, fish, crocodiles, lizards, frogs U.S. states with suitable climate: southern half of Florida, southern tip of Texas, Hawaii May already be established in: southern Florida
Southern African Python (Python natalensis) Native to: ranges from Kenya southwest to Angola and south through Namibia and eastern South Africa Size: a typical adult is around 16 feet, but can grow bigger than the Northern African python Eats: antelopes, warthog, porcupine, caracal, birds, fish, crocodiles, lizards, frogs U.S. states with suitable climate: southern half of Florida, along much of the southern border of Texas, Hawaii
Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) Native to: much of central and South America, from Mexico to Argentina Size: adults are around 13 feet long Eats: mammals, birds, lizards, fish U.S. states with suitable climate: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas Already established in: southern Florida
Yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) Native to: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay Size: 10 to 12 feet on average Eats: fish, turtles, aquatic birds, rodents U.S. states with suitable climate: Florida, southeast Georgia, southern and eastern Texas, southern California, Hawaii
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified the snakes in the photo as boa constrictors. They are ball pythons. The error has been fixed.
Comments
The featured picture is most definitely of a few ball pythons (Python regius), not boa constrictors as captioned. Whoever accepted that picture with its caption has close to zero knowledge regarding constrictors. Boa constrictors and ball pythons are very common in the pet trade, and I have never before seen them confused.
Posted by Tyler Square on October 19,2009 | 07:25 PM
Shame on you Smithsonian. Showing Ball Pythons and identifying them as Boa Constrictors? Certainly you have better standards than allowing this to happen? Or is fact-checking thrown out the window when it comes to publishing on your website?
Posted by Kerig3 on November 2,2009 | 09:14 PM
I would surely hope legislation is passed to supress the trade of giant snakes. I am not squeamish when it comes to snakes and had the chance to meet with a lovely five foot Indigo in my carport in southern Georgia. I cannot help but think of the wild life these giant snakes are killing off and the rate they are doing so. It is inexcusable to me to let loose a pet to the wild because it has become unmanagable in size knowing the consequence is fatalistic to the balance of our ecosystem. Show me where to sign!
Posted by Kit B on November 4,2009 | 10:58 AM
A study has recently been launched out of the Savannah River Ecology Lab, right up here on the river, in wich several tagged Burmese Pythons have been let loose in a large enclosure to see if they can last the winter. With that glimmer of an exception, the idea that an A. Rock, Boa, or Yellow Anny has any chance in North Carolina is slightly laughable.
Posted by Greg Mavity on November 4,2009 | 05:06 PM
Boa constrictors may grow to 13', but average is about 9'. The article omits reticulated pythons which grow to lengths of over 20'and are not uncommon in the pet trade.
Posted by Lenny Brooks on November 7,2009 | 12:20 PM
Who cares whether it's a ball python or a Martian Mud Sucker. It's still a snake that doesn't belong here and is destroying our ecological system. There are good snakes and bad snakes furthur classified as dead snakes and live snakes.
Posted by Ronnie Allgood on November 7,2009 | 01:04 PM
Ronnie you seem to not know a hole lot about snakes, im a breeder and a certified reptile care specialist and i can tell you the only risk they pose is when a non experienced person buys a giant know you metiond ball pythons and ive been breeding them for years and the averge for them is four feet for a female and three feet for a male. And as for your comment about them hurting our eco system they need a costint temp of upper to mid eightys and upper sventys at night so even if one escaped it wouldnt survive on its own. so you should get youre facts straight before you start spewing all kinds of hate towards something witch you obviously have no idea about!! there is nothing wrong with having pythons, boas, anacondas, or any other you wish to have as long as you start small then work your way up just make sure you gain the proper experince
Posted by Eric McDonough on November 24,2009 | 11:17 AM
I'm appalled for one at the Smithsonian insinuating that ball pythons are a "giant snake we should worry about" by placing their picture next to the headline (and don't tell me that wasn't intentional, I know about subliminal messaging).
I'm also appalled that a scientific magazine such as the Smithsonian would even dare to project that a tropical snake such as the Burmese python, for instance, could possibly adapt to "have behaviors that allow them to escape freezing temperatures". The Smithsonian should at least know what an ectotherm is, and the dangers of exposing a reptile to constant low temperatures, such as we have through most of the US. Most non-native species would not last a month once the cold nights set in--an upper respiratory infection takes hold in their lungs, and they're gone.
And why is Hawai'i even listed? Last I checked, Hawai'i allows NO import of any reptiles for this specific reason, not since chameleons, anoles, and mongooses made it their home.
As for Boa constrictors, they are indigenous to Mexico, yet have never found it necessary to cross the border into Texas. There must be a reason, maybe it is too cold, maybe there is not enough prey, or maybe the landscape simply does not appeal to them.
Burmese pythons pose a problem for some of the wildlife in the Florida Everglades, but they also help to control the problem of feral pigs and cats, as well as wild pests such as rats and mice. They obviously need to be eradicated before they destroy the American alligator population, but I find it unfair to project and inflate the damage they have done to other species.
Posted by Heather on November 26,2009 | 12:08 AM
Florida has become an introduced species disaster area. There are many non-native reptile and amphibian species established there as a direct result of the exotic pet trade, escapees and deliberate releases into the wild.
The issue is complicated, and banning the importation of non-native reptiles and amphibians is one option. There are plenty of captive breeding programs by hobbyists to support the domestic market, and not put demands on wild populations.
However, Burmese Pythons are already established in the Everglades, and will have a direct impact on native wildlife. These snakes are huge, with prodigious appetites, and will be nigh impossible to eradicate from the environment.
Posted by James on February 7,2010 | 03:46 PM