Wildlife biologists believe a big change is occurring in Florida’s ecosystem after witnessing a Burmese python swallow a deer whole.
Ian Bartoszek and Ian Easterling, biologists with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, spotted the 115-pound animal. female predator that gobbled up a 77-pound full-size whitetail deer last year in Naples.
“It seemed like we were literally catching the serial killer in the act and it was intense watching it (in) real time,” Bartoszek recalled. Living science.
‘We looked and you can see some of the photographs that came out of that. “So we all relaxed, lay on the ground nearby and recorded some pretty nice video footage,” he added.
After humanely euthanizing the invasive animal for research, experts concluded that Burmese pythons can consume even larger prey than previously imagined.
Ian Bartoszek and Ian Easterling, biologists with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, spotted the 115-pound animal. A female predator devoured a 77-pound full-sized white-tailed deer last year in Naples.
According to their new release. study Titled ‘Big Pythons, Big Gape and Big Prey’, the super predator can eat anything as long as it fits in its mouth.
‘Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are top predators that are larger than all but a few snake species, and their prey, which they swallow whole, cannot exceed the size of their maximum opening.
“Our study quantified the maximum aperture of three large Burmese pythons, including the longest specimen captured in Florida and a specimen that was captured while eating a deer.
“All three specimens had maximum opening diameters of 26 cm which exceeded the previously reported maximum value of 22 cm.”
“It felt like we were literally catching the serial killer in the act and it was intense watching it (in) real time,” Bartoszek said.
After humanely euthanizing the invasive animal for research, experts concluded that Burmese pythons can consume even larger prey than previously imagined. Pictured: Ian Easterling with the now dead python
According to their newly published study titled ‘Big pythons, Big Gape, and Big Prey’, the super predator can eat anything as long as it fits in its mouth. Pictured: The python after being euthanized with a member of The Conservancy
Experts explained that the python has a huge opening, as its lower jaws are not fused at the front, allowing its mouth to stretch widely.
Their elastic skin also accounts for more than half the circumference of the maximum opening in large pythons, allowing them to consume prey six times larger than similarly sized snakes from other snake species.
This means that in addition to foxes, bobcats, and raccoons, these invasive snakes can also Swallow deer, alligators and other prey whole in Florida.
“Watching an invasive predator swallow a life-size deer in front of you is something you will never forget. There is no denying the impact the Burmese python is having on native wildlife.
“This is a wildlife problem of our time for the Great Everglades ecosystem,” Bartoszek said in a Press release.
Experts explained that the python has a huge opening, as its lower jaws are not fused at the front, allowing its mouth to stretch widely.
While pythons eat common native species and non-native species such as Norway rats, they are also known to consume threatened or endangered native species, including Key Largo woodrats.
The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world. Adult Burmese pythons caught in Florida average between 6 and 9 feet.
Historically, the python population was centered in Everglades National Park in Miami-Dade County, Florida, after being brought to the state from South Asian countries such as India, Burma, and the Malay Peninsula through the pet trade. exotic.
But they are currently considered established from south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo and from western Broward County to Collier County.
While pythons eat common native species and non-native species such as Norway rats, they are also known to consume threatened or endangered native species, including Key Largo woodrats.