Editing Burmese python (section)

==As an invasive species==
{{Main|Burmese pythons in Florida}}
[[Image:NAS Static US SF FLGVWDMZ014485631722126.png|thumb|United States range in 2007]]
[[Image:Burmese_python_%286887388927%29.jpg|thumb|A captured Burmese python in the Florida Everglades]]
Python invasion has been particularly extensive, notably across [[South Florida]], where a large number of pythons can now be found in the Florida [[Everglades]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 10 Invasive Species |date=2010 |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1958657_1958656_1958659,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206203125/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1958657_1958656_1958659,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 6, 2010 |access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref>{{r|invspinfo}} Between 1996 and 2006, the Burmese python gained popularity in the pet trade, with more than 90,000 snakes imported into the U.S.<ref name="Walters-2016" /> The current number of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades may have reached a [[minimum viable population]] and become an [[invasive species]]. [[Hurricane Andrew]] in 1992 was deemed responsible for the destruction of a python-breeding facility and zoo, and these escaped snakes spread and populated areas into the Everglades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Democrats Hold Hearing on Administration's Plan to Constrict Snakes in the Everglades - House Committee on Natural Resources |date=2010 |url=http://naturalresources.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=177795 |publisher=Naturalresources.house.gov |access-date=9 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916202100/http://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=177795 |archive-date=16 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> A genetic study in 2017 revealed that the python population is composed of hybrids between the Burmese python and Indian python. The species also displays [[cytonuclear discordance]] which has made phylogenetic studies of its origin more complicated.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hunter|first1=M.E. |last2=Johnson|first2=N.A. |last3=Smith |first3=B.J. |last4=Davis|first4=M.C. |last5=Butterfield|first5=John S.S. |last6=Snow|first6=R.W. |last7=Hart|first7=K.M. |date=2017 |title=Cytonuclear discordance in the Florida Everglades invasive Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') population reveals possible hybridization with the Indian python (''P. molurus'') |journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=8 |issue=17 |pages=9034–9047 |doi=10.1002/ece3.4423 |pmid=30271564 |pmc=6157680}}</ref> As of 2024, the population in the Florida Everglades was estimated anywhere between 30,000 to 300,000 Burmese pythons.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Leatherman |first1=S. P. |last2=Leatherman |first2=S. B. |title=Population projections of invasive Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=223–227 |year=2024 |doi=10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-23-00012.1}}</ref>

By 2007, the Burmese python was found in northern Florida and in the coastal areas of the [[Florida Panhandle]]. The importation of Burmese pythons was banned in the United States in January 2012 by the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]].<ref name="U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2012">{{cite press release |title=Salazar Announces Ban on Importation and Interstate Transportation of Four Giant Snakes that Threaten Everglades |url=https://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Ban-on-Importation-and-Interstate-Transportation-of-Four-Giant-Snakes-that-Threaten-Everglades |website=doi.gov |access-date=April 26, 2022 |date=2012}}</ref> A 2012 report stated, "in areas where the snakes are well established, foxes, and rabbits have disappeared. Sightings of [[raccoon]]s are down by 99.3%, [[opossum]]s by 98.9%, and [[white-tailed deer]] by 94.1%."<ref name="Adams">{{cite news  |author=Adams, G. |date=2012 |title=Pythons are squeezing the life out of the Everglades, scientists warn |location=London |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pythons-are-squeezing-the-life-out-of-the-everglades-scientists-warn-6297653.html}}</ref> Road surveys between 2003 and 2011 indicated an 87.3% decrease in bobcat populations, and in some areas rabbits have not been detected at all.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Dorcas, M.E. |author2= Willson, J.D. |author3=Reed, R.N. |author4=Snow, R.W. |author5=Rochford, M.R. |author6=Miller, M.A. |author7=Meshaka, W.E. |author8=Andreadis, P.T. |author9=Mazzotti, F.J. |author10=Romagosa, C.M.|author11=Hart, K.M. |date=2012 |title=Severe mammal declines coincide with proliferation of invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=7 |pages=2418–2422 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1115226109 |pmc=3289325 |pmid=22308381 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2012PNAS..109.2418D}}</ref> Experimental efforts to reintroduce rabbit populations to areas where rabbits have been eliminated have mostly failed "due to high (77% of mortalities) rates of predation by pythons."<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Willson, J. |date=2017|title=Indirect effects of invasive Burmese pythons on ecosystems in southern Florida |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=54|issue=4|pages=1251–1258 |doi=10.1111/1365-2664.12844 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017JApEc..54.1251W}}</ref> Bird and [[coyote]] populations may be threatened, as well as the already-rare [[Florida panther]].<ref name="Adams" /> In addition to this correlational relationship, the pythons have also been experimentally shown to decrease marsh rabbit populations, further suggesting they are responsible for many of the recorded mammal declines. They may also outcompete native predators for food.<ref name="McCleery-2015">{{cite journal |author1=McCleery, R.A. |author2=Sovie, A. |author3=Reed, R.N. |author4=Cunningham, M.W. |author5=Hunter, M.E. |author6=Hart, K.M. |title=Marsh rabbit mortalities tie pythons to the precipitous decline of mammals in the Everglades |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=282 |issue=1805 |page=20150120 |date=2015 |pmid=25788598 |pmc=4389622 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2015.0120|bibcode=2015RSPSB.282....7M }}</ref>

By 2011, researchers identified up to 25 species of birds from nine avian orders in the digestive tract remains of 85 Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park.<ref name="Dove-2011">{{cite journal |author1=Dove, C.J. |author2=Snow, R.W. |author3=Rochford, M.R. |author4=Mazzotti, F.J. |date=2011 |title=Birds Consumed by the Invasive Burmese Python (''Python molurus bivittatus'') in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA |journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |volume=123 |issue=1 |pages=126–131 |doi=10.1676/10-092.1 |jstor=23033493 |s2cid=55495469}}</ref> Native bird populations are suffering a negative impact from the introduction of the Burmese python in Florida; among these bird species, the [[wood stork]] is of specific concern, now listed as federally endangered.<ref name="Dove-2011" />

Numerous efforts have been made to eliminate the Burmese python population in the last decade.{{when|reason=the phrase &quot;in the last decade&quot; is meaningless without reference to a specific date or range of dates|date=February 2020}} Understanding the preferred habitat of the species is needed to narrow down the python hunt. Burmese pythons have been found to select broad-leafed and low-flooded habitats. Broad-leafed habitats comprise cypress, overstory, and coniferous forest. Though aquatic marsh environments would be a great source for prey, the pythons seem to prioritize environments allowing for morphological and behavioral camouflage to be protected from predators.{{clarify|date=October 2020}} Also, the Burmese pythons in Florida have been found to prefer elevated habitats, since this provides the optimal conditions for nesting. In addition to elevated habitats, edge habitats are common places where Burmese pythons are found for thermoregulation, nesting, and hunting purposes.<ref name="Walters-2016">{{cite journal |author1=Walters, T.M. |author2=Mazzotti, F.J. |author3=Fitz, H.C. |date=2016 |title=Habitat selection by the invasive species Burmese python in Southern Florida |journal=Journal of Herpetology |volume=50 |issue=1 |pages=50–56|doi=10.1670/14-098 |s2cid=86327588}}</ref>

One of the Burmese python eradication movements with the biggest influence was the 2013 [[Florida Python Challenge]]. This was a month-long contest wherein a total of 68 pythons were removed. The contest offered incentives such as prizes for longest and greatest number of captured pythons. The purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness about the invasive species, increase participation from the public and agency cooperation, and to remove as many pythons as possible from the Florida Everglades.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Mazzotti, F.J. |author2=Rochford, M. |author3=Vinci, J. |author4=Jeffery, B.M. |author5=Eckles, J.K. |author6=Dove, C. |author7=Sommers, K.P. |date=2016 |title=Implications of the 2013 Python Challenge® for Ecology and Management of ''Python molorus bivittatus'' (Burmese python) in Florida |journal=Southeastern Naturalist |volume=15 |issue=sp8 |pages=63–74 |jstor=26454670 |doi=10.1656/058.015.sp807 |s2cid=90352897}}</ref> The challenge has run a few times again since then and is now an annual event over the duration of ten days.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Florida Python Challenge - Python Challenge |url=https://flpythonchallenge.org/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Florida Python Challenge}}</ref> Recently, in 2023, it resulted in 209 pythons removed by 1,050 participants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ICYMI: Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez Announces Winners of the 2023 Florida Python Challenge® |url=https://myfwc.com/news/all-news/python-challenge/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission}}</ref>

A study from 2017 introduced a new method for identifying the presence of Burmese pythons in southern Florida; this method involves the screening of mosquito blood. Since the introduction of the Burmese python in Florida, mosquito communities use the pythons as hosts even though they are recently introduced.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Reeves, L.E. |author2=Krysko, K.L. |author3=Avery, M.L. |author4=Gillett-Kaufman, J.L. |author5=Kawahara, A.Y. |author6=Connelly, C.R. |author7=Kaufman, P.E. |title=Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, ''Python bivittatus'' Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=e0190633 |date=2018 |pmid=29342169 |pmc=5771569 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0190633 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1390633R}}</ref>

Invasive Burmese pythons also face certain physiological changes. Unlike their native South Asian counterparts who spend long periods fasting due to seasonal variation in prey availability, pythons in Florida feed year-round due to the constant availability of food. They are also vulnerable to cold stress, with winter freezes resulting in mortality rates of up to 90%. Genomic data suggests natural selection on these populations favors increased thermal tolerance as a result of these high-mortality freezes.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Card, D.C. |author2=Perry, B.W. |author3=Adams, R.H. |author4=Schield, D.R. |author5=Young, A.S. |author6=Andrew, A.L. |author7=Jezkova, T. |author8=Pasquesi, G.I. |author9=Hales, N.R. |author10=Walsh, M.R. |author11=Rochford, M.R. |author12=Mazzotti, F.J. |author13=Hart, K.M. |author14=Hunter, M.E. |author15=Castoe, T.A. |title=Novel ecological and climatic conditions drive rapid adaptation in invasive Florida Burmese pythons |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=27 |issue=23 |pages=4744–4757 |date=2018 |pmid=30269397 |doi=10.1111/mec.14885 |doi-access=|bibcode=2018MolEc..27.4744C}}</ref>

They have carried ''Raillietiella orientalis'', a [[pentastome]] parasitic disease, with them from Southeast Asia. Other reptiles in Florida have become infested, and the parasite appears to have become endemic.<ref name="Waymer-2019" />

In April 2019, researchers captured and killed a large Burmese python in Florida's [[Big Cypress National Preserve]]. It was more than {{cvt|17|ft|m|order=flip}} long, weighed {{cvt|140|lb|order=flip}}, and contained 73 developing eggs.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Mettler, K. |date=2019 |title=A 17-foot, 140-pound python was captured in a Florida park. Officials say it's a record |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2019/04/07/foot-lb-python-was-captured-fla-state-park-officials-say-its-record/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=23 May 2020}}</ref>
In December 2021, a Burmese python was captured in Florida that weighed {{cvt|215|lbs|kg|order=flip}} and had a length of {{cvt|18|ft|m|order=flip}}; it contained a record 122 developing eggs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=A. B. |title=Caught! Record-breaking 18-foot Burmese python pulled from Collier County wilderness |url=https://www.news-press.com/story/tech/science/environment/2022/06/22/record-breaking-18-foot-burmese-python-caught-florida-everglades/7694354001/ |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=The News-Press}}</ref>
In July 2023, local hunters captured and killed a {{cvt|19|ft|m|order=flip}} long Burmese python that weighed {{cvt|125|lbs|kg|order=flip}} in Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve.<ref name=Jones/>