Marylanders: Fear the Python

February 28, 2008

“Pythons could slither north as climate warms.”

It sounds like the basis for a horror movie, but it’s not. It’s a headline from Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications.

According to Larry O’Hanlon at Discovery News, the 20-foot, 250-pound reptiles could survive in multiple states by the year 2100 (at that point our climate may resemble their native India or Pakistan).

“The big snakes could comfortably creep through Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and southern New Jersey,” he writes.

Well, they can have southern Jersey, as far as I’m concerned.

Of course, they’ve already immigrated to the U.S. A few years ago, researchers discovered a self-sustaining population of Burmese pythons in the Florida everglades - probably the result of a pet released into the wild (Snakehead, anyone?). Since then pythons have been spotted in other regional parks and preserves.

If their mere presence isn’t frightening enough, this fact could do it: they eat alligators. ALLIGATORS. (There’s a photo in that link that is worth clicking on. Trust me).

The story concludes, “USGS researchers are also looking into the potential for similar invasions by nine species of giant constrictors, including boa constrictors and yellow anacondas, which are common in the pet snake trade.”

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

Sphere: Related Content

Posted by Jackie Sauter | Filed Under business, discovery communications, environment, maryland, pets 

Comments

2 Responses to “Marylanders: Fear the Python”

  1. Jeff on February 29th, 2008 8:58 am

    I have nothing against snakes, but if pythons are going to be that common in the U.S., I’ll order my snakeskin jacket now, thank you.

  2. Kristen on March 3rd, 2008 11:01 am

    I was living in Florida when the Python ate the alligator, and I remember hearing about it on the news. A week later a different Python ate someone’s cat.

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