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

Abstract

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 (

Flooding-induced failure of an invasive Burmese Python nest in southern Florida

“…We still do not understand much about the reproductive biology of Burmese Pythons in both their native and invasive ranges (Guzy et al 2023). Burmese Pythons are oviparous, are known to produce as many as 96 eggs per clutch in the wild (Currylow et al 2023), and oviposition occurs in southern Florida during late April through May. The species has a long history in the pet trade (e.g., Coborn 1994) but nesting behavior in the wild is not well understood.…”

“…The water level in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem (GEE) fluctuates seasonally because of variation in rainfall. Rates of rainfall are considerably reduced in the fall and winter leading to water levels being lowest in the spring (Kushlan 1986), which corresponds to nesting season for invasive pythons (Bartoszek et al 2021;Currylow et al 2023).…”