An invasive species is an organism that is not native to an area and has negative effects on the environment they are in, and the burmese python is just that. The burmese python is one of the five largest snakes in the world. It is native to South and Southeast Asia but found it’s way into the Everglades of Florida, where it causes many issues and threatens the entire ecosystem. The snake can grow up to twenty three feet in length and weigh up to two hundred pounds. These massive creatures made their way into the Everglades as pets that were released into the wild by their owners, most likely due to the fact that they grew to such an enormous size in such a short amount of time and the owners were not ready for it (Betteley). The burmese …show more content…
Since there is such a vast amount of the pythons then this series of events is sped up and it is all happening at an extremely fast rate. What makes them even more dangerous is that they have no natural predators due to the fact they are not from the area so the population of the snakes only increases (Bradley). In an attempt to solve the snake issue and restore the ecosystem back to the way it was before the burmese python’s became a problem state officials organized the Python’s Challenge, a public snake hunt but it was to no avail (Haberman). No matter what plan officials created to eradicate the species from the area it did not work and unlike in the article “Vicious Texas Ants Reach Fresno County” by David Perlman, they can not simply quarantine the area and march in to kill all of the snakes. This will not work because the Everglades is 1.5 million acres of wetlands and there is no way that a region of this size would be able to be sealed off from the outside world. Plans for eradicating the species are not being thought of as often and instead of trying to eliminate them, officials are thinking of ways to coexist with the snakes without any damage coming to the
This can get expensive and unsanitary. These non-venomous snakes are tricky to care for and often illegally released into the wild. This dumping, importation for the exotic pet trade, and escaped snakes from Hurricane Andrew is resulting in an established wild population of Burmese pythons in South Florida. II. Facts Native to the jungles and to the grassy marshes of Southeast Asia, the Burmese pythons are said to have been first reported in the Everglades in 2000.
Invasive species as a whole have become a nuisance to many habitats and ecosystems around the world. What defines an invasive species is the following. It must be a species that is foreign to the habitat it resides in, have no natural predators which allow it to reproduce in such a rapid manner, and out compete native animals of food and shelter (Rosenthal 2011). These characteristics are what create such high populations of these invasive species in various habitats around the globe.
According to the text, Burmese Python: Not the Ideal Pet, “capable of growing to an astounding length of 23 feet and a weight of up to 200 pounds. " This Information shows that Burmese Pythons are growing too large to like in people’s houses therefore letting them go into the wild which is not good for Florida’s ecosystem. According to the same article it also says,”Unfortunately, many of these owners, upon discovering that they had more snake than they could handle, have resorted to the worst possible solution and released the snakes back into the wild. " This Evidence supports my claim because Florida’s everglades are suffering because the snakes are coming and killing all of these animals. These animals habitat isn’t supposed to see big snakes like this and none of them are ready for a change like
Unable to handle their giant snakes, and unable to find new homes for them, some owners illegally release them into the wild. They are also an invasive species, which means that they are not constrained by natural factors as much as they were in their native habitat. Invasive species have the potential to harm their new environments. The release of Burmese pythons in South Florida is especially troublesome because the subtropical climate and the vast undisturbed habitats of the Everglades enable the species to thrive.
Invasive species are non-native organisms that occupy habitats and disrupt the natural ecological cycles of the habitat. They threaten the biodiversity of an ecosystem and are biological pollutants Invasive species introduced into new habitats usually maximize their reproduction in their new home and crowd out native species. Their lack of natural predators in their new community allow for a proliferation in growth and expansion as a result of their abundant food supply. Once they are established, invasive species can rarely be eliminated because their new habitat is favorable for their survival.
The invasive species, the Burmese Python has done irreparable damage to the Everglades National Park in Florida. A steady decline in mammals has been observed since the introduction of Burmese pythons occurred. Burmese pythons were first introduced into the United States as part of the pet trade which then led to the escape or intentional release out into the wild. The first notation of these species arriving was in the year 2000. However, within just eleven years this invasive species had done such a large amount of damage to Florida’s Ecosystem that many species had gone almost completely extinct.
The author¡¯s techniques in Rattler convey not only a feeling of sadness and remorse but also a sense of the man¡¯s acceptance of the snake¡¯s impending death. The reader can sense the purpose of the author¡¯s effective message through the usage of diction, imagery, and organization.
Exotic snakes such as the python, boa constrictors and anaconda as well as the Monitor and Tegu lizard are taking over central and southern Florida and pose an extreme threat to the eco- system and to the families that are residing there.
Then, at the right moment, the panther attacked the deer. With bounds at over twenty feet at a time, the panther exploded out of the underbrush, pouncing on the deer and forcing it to the ground. Within fifteen seconds, the panther stood breathing heavily over its unfortunate victim of life and death. This scene has been going on for many years, the battle of predator and prey, but now the new predators are humans, almost virtually wiping out the entire population, leaving only an estimated 30 - 50 Florida panthers left. Should the environmental leaders of Florida protect the Florida panther?
Myers, V. (1994, December). The Everglades: Researchers take a new approach to an old problem. Sea Frontiers, 40, 15-16.
Invasive species are organisms that harm a new environment that they are not native to. Many invasive species like Eurasian milfoil are easily able to reproduce and can do so fast. Due to this, the limited space in a body of water or area of land is quickly taken over by the invasive species so other native plants face the risk of death or even extinction. Overall, these invasive species can do great harm to an ecosystem or an economy, causing problems that are destructive to numerous organisms.
The piece I chose to do my literary analysis on was the article, The Truth About Invasive Species, written by Alan Burdick. The article states that invasive species are all around us, but the area with the most prominent amount is the suburbs of Miami. It goes into detail about how abundant invasive species are in this area. Most people who would see a strange animal in their lawn or area would be bemused, however for the people of Southern Florida, this is a recurring scene. Burdick states that “virtually everyone in the South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale”. Burdick describes both how an invasive species is introduced into an ecosystem, and the impact the have on other species upon their arrival.
such changes as well as stop the introduction of exotic plant-life and animals into the Everglades.
Parry, Wynne. (Sept. 23Rd , 2011) Exotic Pets Turning Invasive, Threatning Florida. Tech Media. Retrieved March 10th 2014, from http://www.livescience.com/16204-florida-invasive-reptiles-amphibians.html
...t of an invasive species is when it starts to displace or even eliminate native species. This can quickly snowball into a much greater negative ecological effect. A hierarchy is a useful way to demonstrate the impacts of an invasive species on an ecosystem as it progresses and becomes dominant (Meinesz, 2003).