The snake is said to have tempted Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, but how do you tempt a snake? With another snake of course. That’s what University of Florida wildlife scientists are doing.
Researchers are using pythons captured by South Florida Water Management District’s Python Elimination Program and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Python Action Team Removing Invasive Constrictors to study and remove Burmese pythons during mating season. These snakes are not native to Florida and compete with native animals for food.
Adult male and female pythons implanted with tracking devices will be released into Everglades Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area. By tracking the males, scientists will be able to locate female pythons, which can produce up to 100 eggs. Meantime, females produce sex pheromones which lure males. They also can provide researchers with information about reproduction and survivorship that can be used to estimate the number of pythons in the Everglades.
“Our study links python ecology with removal efforts,” said Melissa Miller, project lead and research assistant scientist specializing in invasion biology at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “This allows for long-term, in-depth research projects, which are critical to understanding cryptic, long-lived species such as Burmese pythons, all while continuing to find and remove pythons from the Everglades.”
Florida is a hotspot for invasive species, with more than 500 nonnative species reported, according to FWC.