Burmese pythons in Florida: A synthesis of biology, impacts, and management tools

Abstract

Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are native to southeastern Asia, however, there is an established invasive population inhabiting much of southern Florida throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Pythons have severely impacted native species and ecosystems in Florida and represent one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe. The difficulty stems from a unique combination of inaccessible habitat and the cryptic and resilient nature of pythons that thrive in the subtropical environment of southern Florida, rendering them extremely challenging to detect. Here we provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of the science relevant to managing invasive Burmese pythons. We describe existing control tools and review challenges to productive research, identifying key knowledge gaps that would improve future research and decision making for python control.

Demographic monitoring of the invasive ladder snake on Formentera (Balearic Islands, Spain)

“…Therefore, sex ratio differences should be considered capture biases as they are based on activity patterns, often related to seasonality and reproduction (Chaitae, 2011). In addition, the sexual size dimorphism observed could also be caused by a capture bias, as body size could affect detectability differently in each sex (Christy et al., 2010; Guzy et al., 2023). This capture bias could have many implications for the invasion process as certain sizes could escape detection and capture, leading to population expansion.…”

“…Frequencies of large snakes remained similar across the years and frequencies of small snakes increased, especially in 2020, which could lead to higher recruitment of hatchlings and a high reproduction rate of large snakes. A growth in population abundance due to an increase in juveniles and high fecundity of adults can be produced in response to a massive removal of individuals in a population, something which is known as overcompensation (e.g., Guzy et al., 2023). Nevertheless, further research on this observation for longer periods of time would be needed to test this hypothesis.…”

“…Snakes' nocturnality, broad movements, low recapture rates, crypsis, and periods of inactivity (Durso & Seigel, 2015; Steen, 2010; Ward et al., 2017) may have prevented the study of their demography in the past. However, in recent years, the number of studies assessing snake populations introduced out of their native range has substantially grown (e.g., Cabrera‐Pérez et al., 2012; Capinha et al., 2017; Christy et al., 2010; Guzy et al., 2023; Montes et al., 2020). Demographic studies are essential to determine the effect of environmental variables on life history (Blouin‐Demers et al., 2002; Gregory & Larsen, 1996) and to manage invasive species (Park, 2004).…”

Maximum clutch size of an invasive Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) in Florida, USA

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N ative to southeastern Asia, the Burmese Python (Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820) is an invasive species established in southern Florida (Snow et al 2007;Krysko et al 2016;Krysko et al 2019). Pythons are documented as having negative effects on the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and they have proven to be a complex problem for managers trying to control populations (Guzy et al 2023). This species can move long distances (

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Spatial ecology to strengthen invasive snake management on islands

“…However, invasive species management remains a complex task 8 , as its success and optimization depends on the available data about target species.Information on the biology and ecology of invasive predators can be crucial to develop control strategies and action plans 8,9 , but particularly home range, activity patterns, or habitat use 10,11 can facilitate more effective trapping 12,13 . This strategic information becomes even more relevant to organisms difficult to manage, like snakes 14,15 , which show extremely low detectability, secretive behavior, cryptic coloration, sporadic activity patterns, or use inaccessible habitats [16][17][18] . As invasive snakes are becoming increasingly recognized as a major threat to biodiversity on numerous islands worldwide 19,20 , understanding their spatial ecology is key to optimizing control actions 10,21,22 .…”