Prompt action is needed at the federal level to limit the number of invasive pythons released into the wild, South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Deputy Executive Director George Horne said in written testimony to the U.S. Congress today.

The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security is considering a Bill that would classify nonnative pythons, such as the Burmese python, as "injurious animals" and ban their importation into the United States.

Hypothetical diet necessary for a hatchling Burmese python to reach 13 feet in the Florida Everglades (approximately 5 to 7 years)

1 raccoon
1 oppossum
4 five-foot alligators
5 American coots
6 little blue herons
8 ibises
10 squirrels
15 rabbits
15 wrens
30 cotton rats
72 mice

This illustration and the photos on this page were appended to the SFWMD written testimony handed to Congress today.

(Source: Skip Snow, Everglades National Park & Dr. Stephen Secor, University of Alabama)

"As a top predator and prolific breeder, these exotic snakes threaten state and federal efforts to restore America's Everglades, and they prey on the natural wildlife that call the Everglades home, including species already threatened or endangered," SFWMD's Horne said in the agency's testimony to Congress.

"We have a long history of successful invasive plant management and experience, but only recently have we had to commit more and more resources to the emerging populations of the Burmese python and other nonnative constrictors appearing across our landscape.

"If effective preventative programs were in place to limit introductions of nonnative constrictors, such as the legislation now under consideration, these much-needed taxpayerfunded resources could be redirected to other important resource management efforts.

"Today, however, the negative impacts from the unlimited importation of new pest animals require active responses on our part. Effective prevention of additional introductions of potentially invasive constrictor snakes, as proposed in this Bill, is the only path to prevent these costs from continually increasing."

While Florida, California and Hawaii are among the states most impacted by introduced invasive species, every state is affected, Horne added.

Photo of Burmese python killed in Florida courtesy of SFWMD

"Globally, exotic invasive species, including pest animals, weeds and pathogenic diseases, are a major cause of global biodiversity decline. In particular, nonnative animals compete for food and habitat, upset existing predator/prey relationships, degrade environmental quality, spread diseases and, in our case, may threaten the integrity of flood protection levees and canal banks, and electrical power delivery.

"Nationally, more than 50,000 species of introduced plants, animals and microbes cause more than $120 billion in damages and control costs each year. Already, 192 nonnative animal species are established in Florida, calling for the development of methods to forecast and respond to the potential economic loss, environmental damage and social stress caused by both new nonnative animal introductions and long-established invasive organisms," Horne said.

The Bill before Congress makes an important contribution towards prevention by limiting the importation of two snake species (the Burmese and African pythons) with high invasion potentials in the U.S., Horne said.

"The amendment could also be expanded to include all giant constrictor species determined by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to have medium or high invasion risk potential. The recently published USGS risk assessment for giant constrictors ranked nine species as having either a medium or high overall risk potential for invasion in the United States.

"These species include the Beni Anaconda, boa constrictor, Burmese python, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green anaconda, northern African python, southern African python, reticulated python, and yellow anaconda."

Photo of Burmese python killed in Florida courtesy of SFWMD

"We strongly support inclusion of these species in [the Bill] in order to immediately limit importation of species that our best science predicts will be invasive," Horne added.

"Rather than wait for the next Burmese python to become established in the United States, a proactive approach such as the proposed legislation being discussed today is urgently needed to protect our environment, economy and quality of life--not just in Florida but throughout the nation."

The South Florida Water Management District is deeply committed to preserving and restoring South Florida's environmental health and, unfortunately, the Everglades ecosystem is now home to the invasive Burmese python, Horne said.

Fifty-two eggs were inside a 16-foot Burmese python found in May, 2009 by South Florida Water Management District officials south of the Tamiami Trail in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Photo courtesy of SFWMD

The snake is a top predator that is known to prey upon more than 20 native Florida species. Notable among these are the federally listed Key Largo wood rat, white-tailed deer, American alligator, bobcat and numerous wading birds common to the Everglades, including the wood stork.

"Attempts to manage Burmese pythons divert taxpayers' funds from these other urgent primary restoration and protection tasks. Yet, failure to do so will leave this aggressive animal as a serious impediment to our Everglades restoration progress," Horne said.

Small livestock likely prey

The Burmese python also threatens agricultural interests as small livestock are also likely prey, Horne added.

Since 2000, the South Florida Water Management District and Everglades National Park have removed 1,248 Burmese pythons from the Everglades.

"Experience already gained in Florida strongly indicates the need to regulate the importation and sale of this snake. Without stronger regulation and control resources, adverse impacts of Burmese pythons will continue to get worse, and the python's population will continue to expand north of the Everglades and likely into South
Florida's urban areas."

Burmese python nest eggs found in Miami-Dade County in Florida

Photo courtesy of SFWMD

Florida's other nonnative giant constrictors

Given South Florida's abrupt boundaries between dense human population centers and vast subtropical wilderness areas, it comes as no surprise that numerous giant constrictor species have been observed in Florida, Horne said.

"While most observed animals are presumed to be released pets, three additional constrictor species are now considered established or potentially established in Florida--the common boa, northern African python and yellow anaconda.

"All three species are identified in the USGS risk assessment as having a high overall risk of establishment in the
United States. The common boa has been repeatedly observed in South Florida, primarily on the Deering Estate in eastern Miami-Dade County, but also near Everglades National Park.

"Between 1989 and 2005, 96 common boas were captured in South Florida.

"Recent confirmed sightings of northern African pythons near the eastern boundary of the Everglades and yellow anacondas near Big Cypress National Preserve and Myakka State Park in southwest Florida are also cause for alarm."

"Recent confirmed sightings of northern African pythons near the eastern boundary of the Everglades and yellow anacondas near Big Cypress National Preserve and Myakka State Park in southwest Florida are also cause for alarm. All three of these species share traits with the Burmese python that are considered important factors for invasive potential, and like the Burmese python all three species will be very costly to control should they become widely established."

Burmese python photo courtesy of South Florida Water Management District

As the South Florida Water Management District and other agencies try to contain the documented damage and growing threat of the Burmese python and other invasive animals in Florida, the flow of potentially harmful exotic animals across U.S. borders continues, Horne said.

"To use just one example, roughly 144,000 boa constrictors were imported into the United States between
2000 and 2007. Federal action is needed now to address the immediate threat posed by giant constrictors which have or are likely to establish in our nation's wilderness areas."

This map from the recently published USGS risk assessment for giant constrictors suggests how much of the United States has a climate suitable (green area) for the establishment of the Burmese python.

Map courtesy of USGS

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Reptile owners weigh in on invasive snake issue
The people who say they know most about boas and pythons, the pet reptile owners and traders, have different perspectives about what's needed to prevent and reverse the problem of the snakes breeding in the wild.

100-pound albino python seized from Florida Panhandle home

In the latest crackdown on nonnative giant pet snakes in Florida, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) investigators have confiscated an 11-foot, albino Burmese python living uncaged in a private residence.

Nine giant invasive snake species threaten U.S. ecosystems, study finds

Giant nonnative snake species would pose high risks to the health of ecosystems in the United States should they become established in the country, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says in a report.

Pythons in Florida: Who are you Going to Call?
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission appeals to residents of the state to report wildlife law violations. FWC also hosts amnesty days for people to turn over for placement giant snakes they can no longer keep as pets.

Pythons in Florida Everglades: Is the Snake Invasion Only Beginning?

The giant snakes were imported to North America as pets, but released or escaped into Florida's wetlands they are proliferating, challenging alligators for the top of the food chain, and potentially positioning themselves to invade much more of the United States. Conservation biologist Stuart Pimm discusses the problem.

Five giant non-native snake species would pose high risks to the health of ecosystems in the United States should they become established in the country, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said today.

A 300-page report prepared by the agency details the risks of nine non-native boa, anaconda and python species that are invasive or potentially invasive in the U.S.

Burmese python (Python molurus), a Giant Constrictor Snake

Photo courtesy of Roy Wood, National Park Service

"Because all nine species share characteristics associated with greater risks, none was found to be a low ecological risk," USGS said in a statement released with the report.

Two of the giant snake species are documented as reproducing in the wild in South Florida, with population estimates for Burmese pythons in the tens of thousands, the agency noted.

A Burmese python peeks over the head of an alligator that holds the python's body in its mouth in Everglades National Park.

Photo courtesy of Lori Oberhofer, National Park Service

Small risk to people

Based on the biology and known natural history of the giant constrictors, individuals of some species may also pose a small risk to people, although most snakes would not be large enough to consider a person as suitable prey, USGS added.

"Mature individuals of the largest species---Burmese, reticulated, and northern and southern African pythons---have been documented as attacking and killing people in the wild in their native range, though such unprovoked attacks appear to be quite rare," the report authors wrote. The snake most associated with unprovoked human fatalities in the wild is the reticulated python.

"The situation with human risk is similar to that experienced with alligators: attacks in the wild are improbable but possible."

"The situation with human risk is similar to that experienced with alligators: attacks in the wild are improbable but possible."

"This report clearly reveals that these giant snakes threaten to destabilize some of our most precious ecosystems and parks, primarily through predation on vulnerable native species," said Robert Reed, a coauthor of the report and a USGS invasive species scientist and herpetologist.

Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor) at a county park in southeastern Miami.

Photo courtesy of Mike Rochford, University of Florida.

USGS sorted the giant snakes into high-risk and medium-risk categories.

"High-risk species are Burmese pythons, northern and southern African pythons, boa constrictors, and yellow anacondas. High-risk species, if established in this country, put larger portions of the U.S. mainland at risk, constitute a greater ecological threat, or are more common in trade and commerce.

"Medium-risk species were reticulated python, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green anaconda, and Beni anaconda. These species constitute lesser threats in these areas, but still are potentially serious threats.

"Because all nine species share characteristics associated with greater risks, none was found to be low-risk."

A female Burmese python on her nest with eggs. Photo by Jemeema Carrigan, University of Florida. Courtesy of Skip Snow, National Park Service

The USGS scientists who authored the report emphasized that native U.S. birds, mammals, and reptiles in areas of potential invasion have never had to deal with huge predatory snakes before, the agency said in its statement.

"Individuals of the largest three species reach lengths of more than 20 feet and upwards of 200 pounds. The reticulated python is the world's longest snake, and the green anaconda is the heaviest snake. Both species have been found in the wild in South Florida, although breeding populations are not yet confirmed for either.

"Breeding populations have been confirmed in South Florida for Burmese pythons and the boa constrictor, and there is strong evidence that the northern African python may have a breeding population in the wild as well."

Skip Snow (National Park Service) measures the length of a captured Burmese python at the South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park.

Photo courtesy of Lori Oberhofer, NPS

"Compounding their risk to native species and ecosystems is that these snakes mature early, produce large numbers of offspring, travel long distances, and have broad diets that allow them to eat most native birds and mammals," said Gordon Rodda, a USGS scientist at the Fort Collins Science Center and the other coauthor of the report.

"Boa constrictors and northern African pythons...already live wild in the Miami metropolitan area."

In addition, he said, most of these snakes can inhabit a variety of habitats and are quite tolerant of urban or suburban areas. Boa constrictors and northern African pythons, for example, already live wild in the Miami metropolitan area.

This map from the USGS report suggests how much of the United States has a climate suitable (green area) for the establishment of the Burmese python. 

Eradication is difficult

The report notes that there are no control tools yet that seem adequate for eradicating an established population of giant snakes once they have spread over a large area. "Making the task of eradication more difficult is that in the wild these snakes are extremely difficult to find since their camouflaged coloration enables them to blend in well with their surroundings," USGS added.

Yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus) specimen captured at Big Cypress National Preserve. Photo courtesy of Skip Snow, National Park Service.

The lesson of Guam

"We have a cautionary tale with the American island of Guam and the brown treesnake," said Reed. "Within 40 years of its arrival, this invasive snake has decimated the island's native wildlife--10 of Guam's 12 native forest birds, one of its two bat species, and about half of its native lizards are gone. The python introduction to Florida is so recent that the tally of ecological damage cannot yet be made."

The researchers used the best available science to forecast areas of the country most at risk of invasion by these giant snakes, USGS said.

The USGS map shows where in the U.S. the climate is suitable for establishment of the southern African python.

"Based on climate alone, many of the species would be limited to the warmest areas of the United States, including parts of Florida, extreme south Texas, Hawaii, and America's tropical islands, such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and other Pacific islands," the agency said.

"For a few species, however, larger areas of the continental United States appear to exhibit suitable climatic conditions. For example, much of the southern U.S. climatic conditions are similar to those experienced by the Burmese python in its native range.

However, many factors other than climate alone can influence whether a species can establish a population in a particular location," the report notes.

The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service will use the report to assist in further development of management actions concerning the snakes when and where these species appear in the wild.

In addition, the risk assessment will provide current, science-based information for management authorities to evaluate prospective regulations that might prevent further colonization of the U.S. by these snakes, USGS said.

Scientific names of the invasive giant snakes

Indian or Burmese python (Python molurus)
Northern African python (Python sebae)
Southern African python (Python natalensis)
Reticulated python (Python [or Broghammerus] reticulatus)
Boa constrictor (Boa constrictor)
Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
Yellow anaconda (Eunectes notaeus)
Beni or Bolivian anaconda (Eunectes beniensis)
De Schauensee's anaconda (Eunectes deschauenseei)

Giant Constrictor Risk Assessment:
Frequently Asked Questions (USGS)

Pythons have invaded the Everglades, where they flourish in warm, wet habitat that has an abundant buffet of native species to feast on.

The giant snakes were imported to North America as pets, but released or escaped into Florida's wetlands they are proliferating, challenging alligators for the top of the food chain, and potentially positioning themselves to invade much more of the United States.

Conservation biologist Stuart Pimm has dedicated his life to protecting species--but an infestation of 16-foot alien snakes in Florida's iconic Everglades National Park has got him wondering how to eradicate this one. He is worried about the impact on indigenous species--and what could happen if pet owners release other big reptiles into the watery wilderness.

An American alligator and a Burmese python struggle to prevail in Everglades National Park. Pythons have been known to kill and eat alligators in the park.

Photo by Lori Oberhofer, National Park Service.

By Stuart L. Pimm
Special Contributor to NatGeo News Watch

Everglades National Park, Florida--Most April mornings for the last 15 years have started well before dawn, with a cup of coffee and the drive into Everglades National Park. We're in the helicopter while the sun is still below the horizon. No brilliant conversation at this hour.

Through my headset I hear, "Seven eight four, one six three bravo hotel." A women's voice echoes, "seven eight four, one six three bravo hotel." Our pilot replies, "heading west from the Beard Center to 80 46 30, 25, 41 15, four souls on board, two and half hours of fuel." The women's voice repeats the numbers.

"Roger that, thank you," and the conversation ends. There is no chit chat. We let the Park know where we're going just in case the helicopter breaks down--which happens, but not often.

Pimm surveying endangered species in Everglades National Park. There are pythons even in the park's remote areas.

Photo courtesy Stuart Pimm

The sun is still not up and the colors are muted. The stands of pine trees are dark green, the prairies are dark buff. There's a mist over them, gray in this light, but thin, translucent, rumpled by the most gentle breeze. Anything stronger would destroy the veil. It's thin enough, sometimes, that I will stand with my head above it when we land.

The helicopter leaves and I listen in complete solitude. There's a faint "bzzzz" to the north, so I check "one" on my clipboard. The Cape Sable sparrow-- one of the rarest birds in North America and one found only in the Florida Everglades, is at home. [Find a link to a video report of Pimm's sparrow research in the Everglades, at the bottom of this page.]

I know what you want to ask. Alone--and a very long, tough walk from the nearest road--what happens if I run into an alligator (there are lots of them), or a cottonmouth (you smell them first), or a Burmese python? A Burmese python?

Burmese python caught in Everglades National Park

Photo courtesy NPS

The alligator and cottonmouth belong in the Everglades, but I really don't relish the prospect of meeting a 4-meter (13-foot) constrictor, curled up on her eggs, as I wait for the helicopter to return to pick me up. I'm just not a snake person. And the pythons do not belong there.

There are snake people, of course. And the problem is that there are people who thought they were snake people, but grew out of it. Well, the snake grew them out of it, more correctly.

One of the Ten Largest Snakes in the World

The Burmese python grows to be one of the ten largest snakes in the world. Without doubt, it's a beautiful animal. And a very popular pet. Type the name into Google and you immediately get advice on how to care for one.

It also comes with a warning too few people heed: They can grow to more than 5 meters long (16 feet) and weigh more than 80 kilos (200 pounds). And you have to feed them. And they get very large very quickly.

"What starts out as a cute, mouse-eating novelty, can become a liability in a couple of years."

What starts out as a cute, mouse-eating novelty, can become a liability in a couple of years.

I talked to Dr. Nicolette Cagle, a Duke University colleague who did her Ph. D on snakes. Her husband, Mark--a vet--was an essential part of the conversation: It took both of them to hold Boa, their pet boa, as can be seen in the photo below and in my video interview with them at the bottom of this page.

Picture by Stuart Pimm--watch this video at the bottom of the page

Boas are snakes related to pythons and, like pythons, grow quickly to a large size. "They're fascinating creatures," Nicolette told me, "so many people are afraid of them--but there's no reason to be.

"For the most part, they're even-tempered--we like to show her to school groups."

Nicolette and Mark have had Boa since she was just over a meter (four feet) long. But handling such a large snake requires dedication.

"If you live in South Florida, the temptation often proves irresistible--you let your pet go."

So, what to do if you are unable to manage such a large reptile? If you live in South Florida, the temptation often proves irresistible--you let your pet go.

Many people have done this, even though this is against the law and there are humane alternatives. The result is that today the Everglades is home to perhaps thousands of Burmese pythons. And they're breeding.

It's not just pythons that are immigrants in the Everglades. The waters of this unique freshwater marsh have been populated by a veritable United Nations of tropical fish species. They too were dumped by owners who tired of them.

There are green iguanas across southern Florida, too--and the list of alien species that have taken up residence in the Sunshine State goes on.

Iguanas are another released pet that now thrives in South Florida.

Photo by Stuart Pimm

The damage that such invasive species cause is huge and, in the Everglades, many native species could be at risk. Alien species of all kinds are eating native species, or their food. Pythons could be emerging as the Everglades' alpha predator.

No longer king of the Everglades? Pythons are effective predators on land and in the water and have even tangled with alligators such as this one.

Photo of alligator in the Everglades by Stuart Pimm

On the far side of the world, the brown treesnake was responsible for eating all of Guam's birds to extinction in the wild. That's what can happen when an alien predator is introduced into a habitat where it has no natural enemies. (You can read more about the Guam situation on the USGS Web site.)

Python hunters have been recruited to go after the snakes in Florida. But even with the help of snake-sniffing dogs, the bag has not been impressive thus far.

What I do for a living is to understand why species go extinct-- and what we can do to prevent extinction. In this case, we want to know how to make Burmese pythons extinct in the U.S. wilderness, somewhere they do not belong.

So what are this species' vulnerabilities?

I talked to Dr. Lucas Joppa, another Duke University snake expert. "These pythons have an amazing advantage in the Everglades," he told me. "They are superb predators on the land--and they are superb predators in water, too."

Picture by Stuart Pimm--watch this video interview at the bottom of the page

A weakness, however, may be the python's need for warm places to lay its eggs. After giving birth, female snakes remain with their eggs for over a month to keep them warm," Joppa added.

Joppa thinks one way to control pythons in the Everglades may be to provide them with a kind of battery, or solar-powered electric blanket. "Create somewhere nice and warm to lay eggs and that's where mother python will be in the breeding season."

Ironically, pythons are threatened with extinction in the wild, Joppa noted. "They're hunted for their skins and for their meat."

Hiss-kabobs

Even if python stir-fry, or my personal suggestion, hiss-kabobs, might not catch on, the skins could create interesting incentives for python hunting.

Perversely, because the snake is listed by CITES -- the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species -- trading python skins internationally is illegal.

Burmese pythons top the list of reptiles for sale by pet dealers, but they are not the only species on the list.

Boas are a popular pet and have the same size issues as pythons. Are they and other big snakes also headed for the Everglades?

I worry that the worst is to come.

Watch this vdeo report by Stuart Pimm, in which he interviews Lucas Joppa about the giant snakes in the Everglades, and introduces us to Boa, the pet boa constrictor belnging to Duke colleague Nicolette Cagle and her husband Mark.

 

Professor Stuart L. Pimm is a conservation biologist at Duke University, North Carolina. A former member of the National Geographic Committee for Research and Exploration, Pimm is the author of dozens of books and research papers, including the book "The World According to Pimm: A Scientist Audits the Earth."

David Blinken has produced this video interview with Stuart Pimm on Pimm's research in the Everglades on the endangered Cape Sable sparrow.

Read earlier blog posts by Stuart Pimm>>

 

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Snake Plague on Guam Impacts Trees

When the brown tree snake was transported accidentally to the Pacific island of Guam sixty years ago it slithered into paradise: a banquet of birds that had no fear of snakes--and no predators to keep snakes in check. Today Guam is the text book example of what invasive species can inflict on an ecosystem.

 

Wildlife Trade Threatens Health of U.S.

Wildlife trade is so poorly regulated in the United States that it threatens ecosystems, native species, food supply chains and human health, several agencies and institutions have warned.

Hunted to near extinction by the invasive brown tree snake on the Pacific Ocean Island Guam, the Micronesian kingfisher exists today only in captivity. The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago was excited to announce today that the world population of this bird was boosted with a successful hatching on June 2.

Photo of Micronesian kingfisher courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo

A Guam Micronesian kingfisher--a critically endangered bird that has become extinct in the wild--hatched at Chicago's Lincoln park Zoo earlier this month.

"There are only approximately 100 individuals left in the world and reside within accredited North American zoos and a facility operated by the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources as part of the Species Survival Program," the zoo said in a statement accompanying images released to the media.

The kingfisher chick, which has yet to be sexed or named, is developing tiny pin feathers and a darkened beak, the zoo added.

"Kingfishers use their beaks to drill holes into trees and rotting wood to create their nests. Males and females work together to hollow out their nest and they develop a stronger bond through the teamwork."

The Guam Micronesian kingfisher was once widespread on the island of Guam, but was hunted to near extinction by the invasive brown tree snake. (Read the related blog entry Snake Plague on Guam Impacts Trees.)

The last individual birds were removed from the island and placed in a recovery breeding program. The goal of the program is to one day return kingfishers to their native home once the snakes have been eradicated, Lincoln park Zoo said.

Illustration of Guam's Micronesian Kingfisher courtesy USGS

Lincoln Park Zoo is an active participant in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival plan to help preserve the species.

Additional information:

Extinctions and Loss of Species from Guam: Birds (US Geological Survey)

 

Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake picture by Michael Redmer/Courtesy Lincoln Park Zoo

Habitat loss, persecution, and collection for the illegal pet trade has driven the eastern massasauga rattlesnake almost to extinction in northeastern Illinois. Now local wildlife agencies have united to round up the last wild individuals in an attempt to save the species locally.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and Lincoln Park Zoo are collaborating to conserve the species through capture and recovery efforts, says a news statement released by the agencies today.

"Considerable scientific data indicate eastern massasauga rattlesnakes will vanish forever if the remaining snakes aren't found. This is an emergency situation and we must act now," says Joe Kath, IDNR endangered species project manager.

The goal of the recovery effort is to locate the last remaining snakes in northeastern Illinois and place them in appropriate propagation facilities, including Lincoln Park Zoo. It is an effort to bolster the population and ensure the species' survival. The goal is to increase the snake's numbers, secure local habitat, and eventually reintroduce it to the wild.

While eastern massasauga rattlesnakes live in small pockets from western New York and southern Ontario to southern Iowa and northeastern Missouri, a recent genetic study identified three distinctive genetic groupings of the reptile in North America. The northeastern Illinois snake population is a distinct variation that will be lost forever if swift conservation action isn't taken, conservationists have concluded.

"Substantial evidence suggests the Chicago-area population has reached critically low numbers, and is unlikely to recover to a sustainable level in the wild under existing conditions. Drastic action is needed now if we are to salvage this unique genetic group of eastern massasauga," says Michael Redmer, a herpetologist at the FWS Chicago Field Office.

Rattlesnakes are an iconic species that serve a crucial role in the Illinois ecosystem as both a highly evolved predator and as prey, the news statement says. "As predators, rattlesnakes control mice and rat populations, thereby reducing the spread of diseases like Lyme and Hantavirus. Rattlesnakes also are a prey species hunted by hawks, owls, cranes and some mammals.

Photo courtesy FWS

"Additionally, rattlesnake venom may serve an important role in human medicine. Researchers are currently studying the benefits of its use in certain drugs and medications." "Sadly there are very few snakes left, and we have an ethical obligation to conserve them," says Joanne Earnhardt, director of the Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology at Lincoln Park Zoo, who serves as the eastern massasauga rattlesnake Species Survival Plan coordinator.

Lincoln Park Zoo is also spearheading the eastern massasauga rattlesnake Species Survival Plan's five-year study of a key population of the reptiles at Big Rock Valley, headquarters of the Edward Lowe Foundation. The goal of the study, which launches in May, is to locate as many rattlesnakes as possible and follow them over several years.

Many of the existing studies on massasaugas have been focused on behavior or habitat, Earnhardt says in the news statement. "In contrast, a longitudinal study that follows individual snakes will give us a better idea about survival and reproduction rates."

Big Rock Valley is a 2,600-acre property of forests, lakes, ponds and streams in southwestern Michigan. This population of snakes is genetically different than those ranging in northeastern Illinois. The researchers plan to implant the snakes with small transponders--the kind used to identify pets--that can be read with a special scanner whenever snakes are recaptured.

Photo of Brady Barr with giant salamander courtesy National Geographic Channel

Brady Barr, we once reported in National Geographic News, is a man whose work bites.

"I've had so many bumps, bruises, and broken bones, it's sometimes hard to get out of bed in the morning," he told me earlier today.

He's also been bitten a few times -- including last year, when a 12-foot-long python plunged its fangs into his leg.

Herpetologist Brady Barr (46) is the star of National Geographic Channel's "Dangerous Encounters." Four new episodes airing in the United States this month include encounters with sharks, giant salamanders, crocs, and 22-foot-long snakes.

Sometimes known as "Gator Doc," he's being doing this work for National Geographic for 21 years and has appeared in more than 70 National Geographic films, including in the earlier series "Reptile Wild With Dr. Brady Barr."

I asked Barr what he thought was the most dangerous moment in a career of wrestling crocs and catching giant snakes by the tail.

"It's a really tough question," he said, "because it always seems like the most recent experience was the most dangerous."

 

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Photo by Leslie Babonis/UF Department of Zoology

Some species of sea snake need freshwater to survive, a University of Florida zoologist has discovered.

Harvey Lillywhite says it has been the "long-standing dogma" that the roughly 60 species of venomous sea snakes worldwide slake their thirst by drinking seawater, with internal salt glands filtering and excreting the salt.

"Experiments with three species of captive sea kraits captured near Taiwan, however, found that the snakes refused to drink saltwater even if thirsty -- and then would drink only freshwater or heavily diluted saltwater," he says.

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When the brown tree snake was transported accidentally to the Pacific island of Guam sixty years ago it slithered into paradise: a banquet of birds that had no fear of snakes--and no predators to keep snakes in check.

Today Guam is the text book example of what invasive species can inflict on an ecosystem. The brown tree snake has wiped out most of the island's indigenous birds and is making serious inroads into Guam's other small animals.

Photo courtesy Isaac Chellman/University of Washington

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