Florida Has a Fresh New Invasive-Species Hell
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A Burmese python incursion has become a headache for Florida over the past two decades, but that's not the only pesky reptile the Sunshine State is now contending with. The green anaconda, the world's heaviest snake, has also been setting down roots, with NBC2 reporting that the invasive species from South America has been increasingly spotted in the Everglades since 2000. USA Today notes there's even a suspected population of green anacondas breeding outside of Naples, in Collier County's Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State.
The females of the species can grow to be more than 25 feet in the wild and weigh in excess of 425 pounds, and they go after a selection of prey described by USA Today as "extensive and varied"—the anaconda's menu includes birds, amphibians, mammals, fish, and even other reptiles. The green anaconda, aka Eunectes murinus , "swallows its prey whole, even prey much larger than the diameter of their mouths," per the US Geological Survey . "They are known to consume large prey such as peccaries, capybaras, tapirs, deer, and sheep." What especially worries local conservationists is the effect that green anacondas might have on the delicate Everglades ecosystem, especially since juveniles are now popping up far from human-populated areas, suggesting the constrictors are breeding.
"I worry about the deer out here and the natural animals," local John Busch of Copeland tells NBC2. The News-Press notes that deadly exotics like anacondas, which have been seen as far south as Miami and as far north as Gainesville, typically end up in the wild after being held as pets and accidentally escaping or even intentionally being released. Other dangerous species the paper warns "could end up in Florida swamps, forests, canals, or ponds, maybe even your backyard" include Nile and saltwater crocs, king cobras, and black mambas.
Related video : Record-breaking Pytho
LINK TO THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE; https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/florida-has-a-fresh-new-invasive-species-hell/ar-AA1ehEgZ?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=64ecfa958d9344bc98810613ab2813b5&ei=17
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The article underestimated the size of the Green Anaconda..
They can reach 30 feet long and weigh 550 lbs. The largest one ever recorded was in Brazil and was 33 feet long and over 800 lbs.
The Green Anaconda loves water and is an excellent swimmer and if they attack prey in the water it's over for the prey. Of course, Florida has all the lakes, rivers, swamps, and marshes you will find anywhere and there are the Everglades, 1.5 million acres of swamps, marshes, grass rivers, and the perfect habitat for the Green Anaconda.
This is awful! Those things can swallow a man whole.
And now they're talking really dangerous critters like crocodiles, king cobras, and black mambas??? Anybody caught with those critters need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent and spend the rest of their lives hunting for the exotic species in the everglades
I totally agree, Trout. I cannot understand why the US allows in exotic pets or non native species. The black mamba is the most poisenous snake in the world and one bite will kill an full grown lion in a few minutes.
We're going to agree on this one, 100%.
Which, for the record, is another 550lb creature.
The King of Cats and on youtube there are videos of a male lion that was bit by a black mamba and it only took a few minutes before it went into convulsions and died.
Because not allowing such deprives those of us who are responsible pet owners to be so. Many of the fish I have can be considered invasive in the right lakes. FL has an invasive goldfish problem too. That said federal and (some) state rules have been revised. Instead of the old blacklist of bad species they now use a whitelist of allowed species and people have to petition the government to allow something new. There were any number of stories online and videos on YouTube talking about how this was going to shut down whole sections of the pet industry when it went into effect last year. Fish and reptile owners have barely even noticed, but that doesn't stop the fear mongers from getting clicks.
EDIT: A lot... Like almost all of the plants I use in my aquariums are invasive species. Some plants can't be sold in some states. One of the things often talked about online in the hobby are the ethical disposal of trimmings and re-homing of fish. We are trying not to screw it up for the next generation.
Responsible pet owners are one thing that problem being that there are many that are not and also illegal trade in animals is a big problem in the US. That, along with our own government bringing in animals/birds/fish/reptiles to battle one problem only to create a much larger problem the Asian Crap being a perfect example.
In my hobby at least we are seeing improvements to past bad behavior. There are still problems, but even us hobbyists are working hard to teach responsibility to new people. There are still so many unethical people driven by a buck we won't fix all the problems and too many lazy people who don't know what they are doing and don't care to like dumping their goldfish in a local lake... Even the government is starting to get wiser on things like using one invasive species to control another... Now we have advances in genetics to create sterile male mosquitos I'm thinking that's going to end up translating to things like snakes and Asian carp.
One thing I've recently started noticing at our local Petco and PetSmart - when I ask for fish they now ask me questions like what size tank am I putting it in and how new is the tank. The workers in the past wouldn't even know why to ask these questions. These frontline workers are often hobbyists themselves and are working to educate buyers. We still have a long way to go though.
And I applaud those that follow the rules and keep trying to improve the situation. But, there is always a but the importers of species like Iguanas which have now taken over southern Florida, or the snakes and other critters that do not belong in North America drives me nuts. The destruction that has and is causing to our environment cannot be calculated.
We are on the verge of losing one of the most beautiful areas in America, the Everglades where the python is destroying all of the local critters of the glades and if the Green Anaconda gets in there it's the end of the Glades as we know them.
In Big Bear lake, an alpine lake in southern California the number of goldfish that have been released is upsetting the balance something terrible. I've seen goldfish in there that weigh 3 and 4 lbs.
Right now we are just seeing the beginning of the turn. It will be a long slow turn and reversing the damage done will take even longer. A lot still needs to be done and stiffer penalties for smugglers and illegal sellers.
If your ever out and about and see Copi on a high end resturant menu... it's Asian Carp.
8n many cases even the responsible owners are the cause of the invasive species. Many of the snakes and lizards escaped because of the severe weather in the Florida area.
From your link:
The black mamba is territorial and the fastest-moving snake, able to reach speeds of up to 10mph. Native to Sub-Saharan Africa, its bite is deadly.
A single bite from a black mamba could be strong enough to kill over 25 people. However, it can bite up to 12 times in a matter of seconds.
The venom contains neurotoxins and cardiotoxins (which damage the heart), and it is arguably the most fast-acting venom of all snakes.
Within 30 minutes of being bitten, victims can display breathing problems, as well as heart and brain abnormalities. Antivenin must be administered immediately as the rate of death without treatment is 100%.
When one reaches that level of venom and I'm not going to question if one bite can kill 200 or 20 people, the fact is, your dead.
I believe that is true in more than just Florida.
Are you sure? The article doesn't give prey size. I have a hard time imagining a 450 lb animal eating a 150 lb human, especially if its method is to swallow whole.
The snake is certainly a nuisance, dangerous for all sorts of domestic and wild animals, but directly to humans?
I don't know this subject at all, but this seems to me to be the essential subject. We're losing biodiversity in so many ways. Our grandchildren will not be pleased.
Evening bob...a farmer in Indonesia was swallowed by a python six years ago..they captured the python and found his body inside..not a nice way to go..😬😬
Whilst the Inland Taipan is the most venomous of Australian snakes,I consider the highly venomous Eastern Brown to be the most dangerous. It is not afraid of humans, and inhabits farmland, suburban gardens, sheds, anywhere there is water and has been known to enter residences (usually farmhouses) in search of mice, rats,etc, Are particularly dangerous to small children who have not learnt to avoid them.
Hi Shona,
OK... but one case in six years in a 6-billion-person world... doesn't really mean much. (OK, so it's more likely just one billion people in python country, but still.....)
Is every critter in Oz trying to kill everything??
No, it’s evolution.
Look to science, not primitive biases for your answers.
Thanks for the correction but note that the black mamba venom is fastest acting, so you die quicker than from the Taipan.
Nah...we have cute, furry and cuddly critters too...just give me a minute...I am trying to think..😁🐨🦘
Evening Way.. agree with that.. flaming Eastern Browns are just plain fearless and vicious..
We have mainly Tiger's here and they can get cranky as well..one got into a grey hound kennel here killed all 9 dogs..they found the snake dead with numerous dog bites..
years ago my granddaughter came very close to being bitted my an Eastern Brown, if her dad had not seen it at the last second we may have had a disaster on our hands.
The most venomous snakes in North America are the Coral snake and the Eastern Diamond Back Rattler. Florida has both. Although we don't have snakes quite as deadly we do have mammals and fish that are very deadly. Like Oz we have more than our fair share of sharks, some very aggressive. If I remember correctly Florida has more shark attacks than anywhere in the world.
Of course, we have alligators and saltwater Crocs. The Florida Everglades is the only place in the world that they coexist.
Another danger in Florida is when it rains Iguana and one falls on you. They are big enough to knock you silly.
I get questions like that when I buy minnows for bait.
I've seen kangaroos...they look like they would beat me up for my lunch money.
giant jackrabbits, oz style...
those jack rabbits in TX are nothing to mess with, either. They loved to torture my dog
I had a series of 3 ponds behind the house. I was fishing the upper pond in early spring, and noticed a leafy plant that had never been in the pond before, but I wasn't concerned as some additional cover didn't appear to hurt anything. I should have been concerned. It was hydrilla. Fast forward a couple months, the upper pond was almost choked out, the middle pond was half covered, and it was taking a good hold in the bottom pond. I tried dragging it out, but I couldn't keep up with it. Tried some herbicide, but wasn't crazy about that option, so I ended up draining the top ponds, and hogging out the bottoms. That stuff created a huge mess. Learned that hydrilla is, or once was, a popular aquarium plant, and that it finds its way into our waters through improper disposal. You become a fast believer in ethical disposal, when you are impacted by a problem that potentially began with an instance of unethical disposal.
we have snowshoe hares here and they are a lot bigger than small dogs.
his python boot was too tight...
yikes. I don't like snakes.
I don't mind small, nonvenomous ones. I have garter and black snakes in my yard at times, if the dog allows. But if there are any copperheads or rattlers, I don't want to know about them.
Finally something we çan agree on!
cats are supposedly really good at detecting them...
They're outside, and the cats are inside. And it damn well better stay that way.
at the desert vacation spot I always go to there was always a new story about so and so's dog getting killed by a rattlesnake bite...
I like the king snakes we have here. They take care of the copperheads that may be lurking. I don't mind non-venomous snakes, I respect them. They just have to stay on their side of the yard
it's bull snakes here that keep the rattlers at bay. when I was in the telecommunications business as an installer/supervisor, I always had to remind myself every spring not to put my hands into the service boxes on the ground without looking in them first...
stinking pit vipers...
We have cotton mouths here in Arkansas, too. I learned how to tell venomous from non-venomous when in the water. If floating on top...bad. Body submerged...good
or is it the other way around?
LOL, you better figure it out before you go swimming again.
Floating, sinking whatever, I stay away from all snakes. The only snake I like are the rubber ones you can buy at the store.
Black snakes here keep rattlers away. That's why I don't mind them.
This little guy was patiently waiting until my dog and I were out of sight before he'd cross the road last weekend. He was kinda cute.
... a cute snake, huh? wtf.
I had a garter snake living under my front porch steps a few years ago. He was cute, too. Well, I thought so. The dog didn't agree. I found a snake skeleton near the foundation, and never saw that garter snake again.
meh, I was born with a garter snake...
my cat howard used to bring garter snakes home. he and the ex would have long standoffs at the front door. he was just doing his part to bring home the groceries...
Howard, I love it when people give their cats people names.
he brought home somebody's parakeet one time. I got it away from him, but it was too traumatized and croaked. he liked to let birds loose in the living room for the ex when I wasn't home.
I used to have a cat who was an excellent huntress. Birds (especially babies), mice. She even brought home a flying squirrel one time. It was funny, because she had put on a lot of weight after we had her spayed, and she could barely run, and looked hilarious when she tried. But she sure could stalk. If we hadn't had her spayed, she'd have had the fattest kittens ever.
we watched howard try and fail to wrangle a rabbit almost as big as him in our backyard once, until the rabbit had enough and hopped away. howard wasn't that bright.
Good deal, we have way to many birds here as it is.
Also as things continue to heat up these creatures can also move further north. Less so the Anaconda, but other snakes & invasive species are moving further north.
That is true, EG. They have now found a few Anaconda as far north as Gainesville, FL which is 50 miles north of me.
YIKES!!!!!!!!!
Timber rattlesnakes are fully entrenched in southern MN & WI now.
We have a good number of timber rattlers in Florida but at least they are a native species.
Once upon a time they would do rattle snake round ups in PA. They used timber rattlers. But then they became endangered and they started bringing in diamond backs for the round ups. Way more agressive and dangerous. They don't do round ups anymore I don;t think
eastern diamondbacks and water moccasins are very aggressive.
I was outside painting a shed the other day next to a pile of black garden hoses. Then one of them moved. I called it a day when I noticed it was a five foot black snake. I can’t imagine having to determine whether it’s a black snake or a black mamba.
you don't ever want to be in the position to have to make that determination.
... by the total number of steps you are able to take after it's bitten you.
And a Green Anaconda can grow up to 10 feet longer than a python and weigh more than twice as much.
Don't be doing any quick steps in the ''glades''.
Holy F!
The thing that nightmares are made of... but this is real life. The horror.
Arvo.. maybe the government should put a bounty on the pythons..we do here for foxes, wild boar etc...works well...
Actually they have just discovered a new species of snackle here the other day... naturally it's poisonous but it doesn't kill you..makes a change..😁😁
They have.
Licensed individuals can get paid by the hour to hunt pythons and get a per snake bounty on snakes over a certain size.
Evening Sparts... that's excellent..with luck they will start making an impact but unfortunately it takes time..
Unfortunately with all of the hunts and bounty being paid they are increasing in number and now have reached the outskirts of Miami neighborhoods.
It is well beyond a serious problem since they have destroyed much of the native wild life in the glades.
As I recall Kavika, you are a fisherman. What is the snakehead impact? Several years ago, it wasn't uncommon to see a show discussing the potential impact of the snakehead, but I can't remember the last time I heard anything on them.
Yes, I am a fisherman T Rex. We have snakeheads in the south of the state, Miami and that area. The type we have here need very warm water so we don't see them in central Florida or northern FL. They have found some in the rivers and eradicated them. They can drive out the native fish since they are ferocious predators.
That was certainly the concern, but it's been years since I've seen anything discussing it. Hopefully they have it managed. Thanks.
I'm surprised that all the goat ropers, clod hoppers, and shit kickers haven't decimated the populations of these invasive species by getting boot making materials. I thought they all liked reptile skin boots...
and belts, and goober hat bands...
LMAO
Just another reason I am happy to reside in the desert of SE Arizona, I can handle putting up with venamous rattlesnakes, coral snakes, and Gila monsters but not something that is potentially a lot bigger than I am!
I mentioned in an earlier post about Eastern Diamondback Rattlers and how they are the most venomous member of the rattler family. Here is a photo from yesterday of one two houses down from me. The photo cut of the rattlers but trust me it had a fine set of rattles and was probably 4 to 4 1/2 feet long and very venomous. Sprayed it with a garden house and off he went into hiding.
Unless you are talking strictly North America, the fer de lance of Central America is actually the largest and most venomous of the rattlesnake family and reaches a length of up to 8 feet. It is number ten on the world's ten most venomous/dangerous snake list.
Yup, talking only about North America.
In Florida, we have both the diamondback and the timber rattler. I think that we have every snake in north America here and some, like the monster python and anaconda that are invasive and destroying parts of Florida.
I don't know about Florida, but I do know that Arizona has the most venomous snakes of any state that includes 19 of the country's 20 dangerous snakes, that includes 13 rattlesnake species alone.
We only have six venomous snakes, the Coral snake, timber rattler, diamondback rattler, pygmy rattlesnake, copper head, and cotton mouth.
But striving to be the most deadly state we have the Anaconda, python, gators, crocs, and of course the number one spot in the world for shark attacks.
Then we have our land mammals including the Black bear and Florida panther. Not nearly as dangerous as the others but I would not piss one off.
In fact, a couple of weeks ago we had a black bear walking down the street in the center of our complex around noon...My neighbor said it was the biggest dog he had ever seen and he was serious...My response was something to the effect of ''dumbass that's a bear''...We have a lot of city folk that have moved here and wouldn't know a bear from a bee.
I almost forgot we have four types of venomous black widow spiders and the brown recluse spider.
We plan on maintaining our title of the ''most deadly state''.
OMG!!! 2 years ago we went to Florida to see my son and as we were coming into his neighborhood there was a big black bear walking around. He looked like he was about to start ringing door bells.
this is him. He was about 5 houses up from my son's house
I forgot to mention gila monsters and Mexican beaded lizards. My town is a small one in a valley called the Sulphur Springs Valley and is surrounded on all sides by mountains both in Mexico and the US. We are about 30 miles from the Chiricahua Mountain range and we occasionally get black bears, mountain lions, and bobcats coming into town from the foothills looking for food in lean years. Over the years I've seen them in my neighborhood as I live on the outskirts of town. When I see them, I just call and fish and game.
This is where one of our Aussies should have something to say......
It looks like a peeping tom to me.
I'll match your beaded lizard with one of our iguanas.
One of the funniest things you'll see in Florida is when there is a cold snap in South Florida and the Iguanas live up in the trees they will freeze and drop to the ground, they look like they are dead but as soon as it warms up they pop back to life. We cannot get insurance for raining iguanas though..
I've been to your neck of the woods a few times in the past. One time many years ago I was in Tucson and was driving over the mountain to OK Corral I think it was and on the radio (before Sirus) the theme from Clint Eastwood's movie ''Good the Bad and the Ugly'' came on...LOL I figured when the folks saw me coming through the pass they would start circling the wagons.
Australia cannot match Florida for shark attacks.
years ago my little sister was with my kids on a gulf beach and saw something in the water she thought was a shark fin. she grabbed the beach umbrella she hadn't opened and ran out into the surf and attacked it. it turned out to be some plastic trash floating by...
I had to wiki gila monster. At first sight I thought...he doesn't look so bad, more like an overgrown salamander. But then I continue to read....
Attacking a shark (she thought) with an umbrella isn't a good recipe for long-term survival.
Gila monster is the miniature version of the Komodo Dragon.
Yep, salamander that is two to three feet long that chews it's venom into you. The Mexican Beaded lizard is a close cousin of the Gila Monster that also chews it's venom in. They are kind of like the Western and Eastern Diamondback rattlesnakes except both occupy the same area and habitat.
Exactly, Doc and it's best not to mess with them.
The Komodo Dragon reaches 10 feet and can weigh in over 300 lbs. They will attack anything including humans.
I saw them live when I was in Indonesia, there is one island there that has a hell of a lot of them, you do not want to get anywhere near them as they can bring down most any sized creature.
Thankfully we do not have them in Florida although the weather is perfect for them.
Don't give anybody ideas, Kav
If we did have Komodo Dragons here I do believe that I'd be head somewhere else, quickly.
I did an report on komodo dragons for my biology class in high school. I got an F because my teacher said there was no such thing. he was later fired for getting physical with students in class. I was one of them. he didn't like long haired males.
I remember seeing live Komodo's at the San Diego Zoo many years ago and live monitor lizards in the Philipines when I was stationed there. Walked out of my house one day and found my yard boy staring at the wall with a four to five foot monitor lizard just hanging on the wall. I left for work and when I came back for lunch it was gone.
He would have hated me for sure, long hair, dark skin....A minority hippy or so he would think. LOL
Who was gone, the lizard or the house boy or both?
he told me he wanted to talk to me in the hallway and then shoved me into a wall of lockers. his new '70 dodge super bee paid the price in the parking lot later on in the week. it bent the steel bumper on the front of my '59 ford f-100 so bad I had to use a torch and beat on it with a sledge to bend it back. I heard somebody say he had to break out the driver window to climb in it and drive home. never saw that car in the parking lot again. I'm still racked with guilt today... /s
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The lizard ate the boy and then left...
Both, but I'm fairly certain the lizard became dinner that night.
Well, at least the house boy was safe.
My daughter's MIL told us about the time they were stationed in Guam and a monitor lizard blocked the road.
I recall going through jungle survival training at Cubi Point in the Philippines and having monitor lizard to eat. It was really quite tasty actually.
Aren't they capable of swimming short distances between islands?
yes they are, trout.
I'm not trout...
Morning.. that's because there are more of you mob to snack on..
Been two fatal shark attacks here this year, does not look good for the coming summer..
Been two fatal croc attacks as well and some chomps..just need to keep your wits about you when in both their territories..
LOL, sorry Doc. I know that there are no trout in the desert, old age got me.
Florida has had 3 fatal gator attacks this year but no fatal shark attacks. In fact, the number of shark bites has gone down but has become much more concentrated at certain beaches.
And speaking of large lizards, Australia has it fair share of them. The Perenties is the largest over 6 feet and a mouthful of very sharp teeth and claws and they are carnivores.
My wife was camping in the outback with friends and they had a campfire one night and a huge Perentie walked right through the group of them....Red damn near had a heart attack. If I remember correctly they are a form of monitor lizard.
I got a better idea. I'll just stay out of their territories all together.
Morning...more commonly referred to as Goannas...
Have a nasty habit of running up you with inch long nails if they are startled..
Apparently Goannas are very good eating going by the Kooris..
no thank you...
Actually, there are eight varieties of trout in AZ but only two are actually native to AZ that include the Apache trout and the Gila trout. The rest that include wild reproducing populations of rainbow, brook, and brown trout are thriving. The rest are seeded seasonally.
Actually, Doc I've fished for Apache trout on the Fort Apache Rez. I fished some bass tournaments in Alamo Lake, Roosevelt Lake, Mohave, and Lake Pleasant.
Were the bass small or large mouth? We used to have a small lake in the Chiricahua Mountains called Rucker Canyon Lake that was stocked yearly with rainbow trout and bluegill. Used to fish it in my younger days. Never had the opportunity to fish anywhere else in Arizona. The most fishing I ever did was the four years I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California in the early to mid 80's. Large mouth bass, catfish, croppie, and bluegill at Lake O'Neil. Bass at Pulgas Lake, and rainbow trout at Casey Springs up in the mountains bordering the Coronado National Forest. Good times and great fishing.
They were largemouth, Doc. There is some great largemouth fishing in the lakes around San Diego and of course one of the best in the country is Clear Lake about 100 north of San Francisco it the largest natural lake in CA and also I believe that it is the oldest lake in the US.
My one sister lives in Fairfax, Virginia (just moved recently) and saw a bear near the highway.
Yep, that guy was about 5 foot tall, skinny and wiry but pretty strong. This guy would scale 20 to 30 foot tall coconut trees in my yard barefoot with a machete in his mouth because he knew we liked coconut. Best yard boy I ever saw.