According to CNN, very large snakes are breeding like mad all over Florida, and it's tough keeping track of them.
Here's an excerpt:
Joe Wasilewski drives along a narrow stretch of road through Florida's Everglades. The sun is setting, night is coming on quickly, and Wasilewski is on the prowl for snakes -- and one snake in particular. "The next 10 miles seem to be the hot spot for Burmese pythons," he said ... Wasilewski is a state-sanctioned snake-hunter who regularly scours this area for the reptiles. The Everglades, known as the River of Grass, has the perfect space and climate for pythons to hide and breed. And breed they do: The largest clutches found in the Everglades have contained 83 eggs ...
Perhaps a little self-vindication here: I covered this issue a year ago. An excerpt:
The southeast coast is indigenous to a wide variety of snakes. Rattlers could be seen out here, as well as copperheads, water moccasins, and land developers ... however, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicts Burmese pythons may take up residence in the southeast -- in fact, the entire southern third of the country within the next hundred years, if there is indeed a warming trend as all evidence suggests. It's a comfort to know Burmese pythons are not poisonous snakes. A good thing; there are plenty of those kind around here. What's not so comforting is that pythons are just plain big. Big enough to hunt deer and alligator. Try 20 feet long and around 250 pounds. That's one big piece of reptile ...
Stay tuned. Not all snakes hang out in D.C.
(Photo from CNN)
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