Research shows that Burmese pythons have a larger mouth size than previously thought, allowing them to consume larger prey and significantly impact Florida’s ecosystem by hunting larger animals.
A new study published in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians shows that Burmese pythons can consume much larger prey than previously thought. Therefore, they pose a greater threat to wildlife in South Florida, where these alien invasive snakes are already decimating populations of foxes, bobcats, raccoons and other animals.
Aperture measurements show surprising data
Pythons swallow deer, alligators and other prey whole. Their diet is limited in part by the size of prey they can grasp with their flexible, long jaws, which researchers call snake mouths.
According to University of Cincinnati professor Bruce Jane, measurements of snakes captured in and around Everglades National Park show that the largest pythons have larger mouths than mathematical models predict. Jain examined the three largest snakes, measuring 15, 17 and 19 feet, captured by research partners Ian Easterling and Ian Bartoszek of the Southwest Florida Conservation Service.
Previously, researchers had studied pythons with a mouth diameter of 22 centimeters (or 8.7 inches). But the largest snake caught by Jane’s research partners had a maximum mouth length of 26 centimeters (or 10.2 inches).
“It’s not that much, just 18% more,” says Jane.
However, according to Jane, the total area of the clearing has increased by a whopping 40%. The largest snakes had a gaping circumference of more than 81 centimeters; which was equivalent to a 32-inch pant waist.
Consequences of increasing gap size
These findings show that snakes can consume much larger prey than previously known. Based on prey items found inside Burmese pythons, researchers know that they kill and eat animals almost too large to swallow. Researchers observed a snake eating a 77-pound deer, two-thirds of the snake’s total weight.
“Watching an invasive predator gobble up a full-size deer right in front of you is something you’ll never forget,” Bartoszek said. “The Burmese python’s impact on native wildlife is undeniable. This is the wildlife issue of our time for the Greater Everglades ecosystem.”
Knowing limits on the size of prey that predators can eat can help researchers predict the ecological impact invasive snakes can have when they invade new areas.
Burmese pythons come from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. They were introduced to the Florida wilderness through the pet trade through escape and deliberate release by irresponsible owners.
Python anatomy and growth
What gives pythons the ability to eat such large animals is their incredible mouths. The lower jawbone is not fused at the front, which allows the jaws to flex widely. Their skin is so soft and extremely elastic that it covers more than half the circumference of the mouth, allowing pythons to consume six times more prey than other snake species of similar size.
To understand its predatory abilities, researchers examined the relationship between the size of the snake’s mouth and its skull anatomy and overall size. Burmese pythons are about 24 inches long and weigh about 4 ounces when they hatch, but they grow quickly. They can double their length and body weight in a year. The largest adults can grow nearly 20 feet and weigh over 200 pounds.
“Large pythons longer than 16 feet are very rare. Less than 1% of the more than 9,000 pythons caught by contractors in Florida were this extreme size,” says Jane.
Conservation efforts against invasive species
The Southwest Florida Conservancy began surveying and eradicating Burmese pythons in South Florida in 2013.
The team tracked the movements of 120 radio-tagged adult pythons, known as “scout snakes,” to better understand the invasive population. The main aim of the study is to create a database of behavior and habitat use to better understand python activity. This research helps inform policymakers, biologists, and land managers to develop better strategies to control invasive snakes.
Conclusion and conclusions of the study
Bartoszek and his team removed 770 pythons with a total weight of over 33,000 pounds, large enough to eat an animal the size of at least a deer (6.5 feet or more). Jane estimates that if each of these snakes took the one deer it could, that would amount to a staggering 13,000 pounds of prey.
This enormous prey-eating ability would be a major concern if pythons were to spread to other parts of Florida and possibly the rest of the American southeast, Jane says. Burmese pythons show up all over Florida.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg of this extraordinary impact on predator populations in Florida,” he said. “Researchers are trying to understand where this spread might stop.”
Source: Port Altele
