Burms in the Everglades

[freelancer]

I finally found the picture of me with the gator that had a dead Burmese python in its mouth. I've noticed a few people on the forums talking about the Burm problem down here in South Florida as if it's a myth, so I've been wanting to share some proof.

I had this photo tucked away on a backup CD that I happened to find tonight. This was shot on the Anhinga Trail the day after Christmas, 2005, during a motorcycle ride with some buddies.

Since then I have seen one or two more Burms, though it's primarily a southern Everglades problem, and I don't go there that much. I'm usually out west in the Big Cypress area. I don't know that there are as many Burms out there as some would have us believe - I think I would have seen more if there were 30,000 of them - but there is no doubt that they are out there.

Me with the gator and the snake (I was between haircuts, OK?):



A closer look. You can clearly see the snake's body alongside the gator's jaws:

[RebelYell83]

i think a lot of people dont rleise how bad this is,but us floridians that need the 100 dollar a year permit,know exactly why

[th3jok3r]

Owned.........

[blackcrystal22]

No one thinks it's a myth, most just think its slightly over-exaggerated.

We are all aware of the problem, but people see this problem as if it could happen everywhere, when in fact, the reptiles could not survive above Lake Okeechobee.

[freelancer]

No one thinks it's a myth, most just think its slightly over-exaggerated.

We are all aware of the problem, but people see this problem as if it could happen everywhere, when in fact, the reptiles could not survive above Lake Okeechobee.

It probably is exaggerated, and I don't think that these snakes could manage to invade so many other states as some originally thought. They may have already trapped a substantial amount of the pythons because I haven't seen one in a couple of years now. The photo above was shot just a few months after the "exploding Burm" incident where the snake ate the gator and died.

[zackw419]

Maybe I'm wrong for this but I think one of the reason Florida is so awesome is because of all the invasive species that seem to thrive there.

[freelancer]

Maybe I'm wrong for this but I think one of the reason Florida is so awesome is because of all the invasive species that seem to thrive there.

You probably are wrong, but so am I because I can understand. Our ecosystem here is the only thing that I will miss about Florida when I find the money to move the hell out of here. We have a tremendous amount of biodiversity, demonstrated even by the most well-known species like the alligator, found in only a few other states, and the panther, otherwise found only in states with very different habitats. If you look closer you'll find some really interesting, though smaller, critters and plant life.

Though we gripe about invasive species, the Earth tends to work with much larger timelines than we do, and what was once invasive is soon native and sometimes, not much later by Earth's standards, soon forgotten as well. When it happens in our lifetimes we see it as destructive, though, especially when humans had such a heavy hand in this particular situation with Burms.

The folks in charge seem to think the alligator will help to curb the python population. We'll see.