Everglades

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Python Scarfs Down Entire 77-Pound Deer

In the Florida Everglades

(Newser) - Florida researchers tracking snakes in the Everglades were recently treated to quite an "impressive feat": a female Burmese python devouring a 77-pound white-tailed deer, whole. And they've released the footage of when they made their discovery, showing the python's mouth stretched to 93% of its maximum gape,...

It's Open Season on Florida Pythons Again

Annual Florida Python Challenge gives state a chance to cull invasive species

(Newser) - Friday marked the start of the annual Florida Python Challenge, where hunters head into the Everglades to track down invasive Burmese pythons in hopes of grabbing a share of $30,000 in prizes. The annual 10-day hunt, which started more than a decade ago, promotes public awareness of issues with...

Rare Crocodile Attack Takes Place in Florida

Man capsized his sailboat before the attack took place

(Newser) - A 68-year-old man fell off a sailboat at a marina in the Florida Everglades and was bitten by a crocodile as he tried to swim to shore, the AP reports. The rare crocodile bite occurred Sunday afternoon at the Flamingo Marina in Everglades National Park and left the man, who...

Florida Has a Fresh New Invasive Species Hell
Florida Has a Fresh New
Invasive-Species Hell
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 29, 2023 9:30 AM CDT

Florida Has a Fresh New Invasive-Species Hell

Green anacondas may be breeding, worrying locals and conservationists

(Newser) - A Burmese python incursion has become a headache for Florida over the past two decades, but that's not the only pesky reptile the Sunshine State is now contending with. The green anaconda, the world's heaviest snake, has also been setting down roots, with NBC2 reporting that the invasive...

Feel Like Watching a Gator Body-Slam a Python? Voila!
In Gator vs. Python,
Guess Who Wins?
VIDEO
Apr 8, 2023 10:00 AM CDT

In Gator vs. Python, Guess Who Wins?

Woman records body-slamming encounter in Florida Everglades, in which reptile claims victory

(Newser) - It's survival of the fittest in the Everglades, and if you're wondering who might win in a showdown between an alligator and a Burmese python, this clip recorded by Katina Boychew should put that question to rest. Per NBC2 , the Florida woman was visiting the wetlands preserve last...

For the First Time, Bobcat Is Seen Eating Python Eggs
'Man, That's One Brave Bobcat'
Mar 16, 2022 3:08 PM CDT

'Man, That's One Brave Bobcat'

Everglades animal raided invasive python nest, ate eggs

(Newser) - Invasive Burmese pythons have been squeezing the life out of the Florida Everglades for decades—but researchers say one species of native mammal is learning to fight back. Video captured by United States Geological Survey cameras shows a bobcat repeatedly raiding an unguarded python nest to eat eggs and clashing...

Florida Sets Prizes for Removing Burmese Pythons

Invasive snakes have no natural predators and are wreaking havoc in the Everglades

(Newser) - Professional python hunters and amateurs alike have a chance to win prizes in Florida's annual hunt for the biggest snakes—the Burmese pythons that are ravaging the state's native species. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the state's annual contest on Thursday: It will run from July 9 to...

One State Wants to Put Pythons on the Menu

It has 'the texture of fish, but ... tastes more like chicken'

(Newser) - Python and a brew, anyone? That might just become a happy-hour special in Florida if it turns out the snakes are safe enough to eat. But state officials first have to figure out whether Florida pythons contain too much mercury, CNN reports. "We would like to use consumption as...

Thousands of Pythons Removed From Everglades

Namely, 5K since 2017

(Newser) - Burmese pythons have invaded the Florida Everglades and are wreaking havoc, and last week, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced it has removed 5,000 of them from the ecosystem since a python elimination program was established in 2017. The snakes, which likely got established after pets were...

The Python Hunters Barely Make a Dent. That's OK
The Python Hunters Barely
Make a Dent. That's OK
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
May 24, 2020 1:45 PM CDT

The Python Hunters Barely Make a Dent. That's OK

Inside the annual hunt for the invasive species

(Newser) - If you assume the alligator is the king of the heap when it comes to Everglades predators, you could be wrong at this point. "I found alligators in them," says Donna Kalil. The 57-year-old python elimination specialist for the South Florida Water Management District is talking about Burmese...

Kayaker's Lost Phone Ends Up Saving Him

Mark Miele, 67, didn't return Jan. 29 as planned

(Newser) - A kayaker who went missing during a solo trip in the Florida Everglades was found alive after his cell phone washed up on a riverbank and authorities were able to recover data showing where he'd been. A helicopter crew then spotted Mark Miele, 67, and led a marine unit...

Before Miami's Super Bowl, a Massive Snake Hunt

'Python Bowl' participants to hunt down invasive Burmese pythons for cash and prizes

(Newser) - Miami's upcoming Super Bowl will mean death for dozens of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades—and wildlife officials say that's a good thing. The game's organizing committee is working with Florida to promote the Python Bowl, a 10-day contest that began Friday that will give out...

Wildlife Workers Have Clever Way to Find Florida Pythons
Wildlife Workers Have Clever
Way to Find Florida Pythons
in case you missed it
Jul 20, 2019 2:00 PM CDT

Wildlife Workers Have Clever Way to Find Florida Pythons

'Sentinel' males fitted with radio transmitters lead them to breeding females in Everglades

(Newser) - The headline at Smithsonian magazine is "The Snakes That Ate Florida," and the accompanying story makes clear there isn't much hyperbole going on. The story looks at the explosion of Burmese pythons in the Everglades. These invasive creatures—which likely got their start in the area when...

Largest Python Found in Everglades Packed a Secret
Largest Python
Found in Everglades
Packed a Secret
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Apr 14, 2019 9:48 AM CDT

Largest Python Found in Everglades Packed a Secret

17-foot female was carrying 73 eggs

(Newser) - Snake hunters trying to rid the Florida Everglades of invasive Burmese pythons used a new method to make a record-breaking catch. A team at Big Cypress National Preserve caught a 17-foot 140-pound female python, the longest python ever caught in the Everglades, the Guardian reports. The snake contained 73 "...

New Python Hybrid May Spell Future Trouble in Everglades

A DNA study found a genetically mixed species that could lead to a more vigorous invader

(Newser) - A genetic study has found a new and dangerous possibility lurking in the DNA of Florida's invasive pythons. Per the Miami Herald , researchers from the US Geological Survey tested hundreds of the Everglades' already worryingly prolific giant snake species and what they found could mean an even hardier invader...

India Tribesmen Tackle Florida's Python Problem

They found 13 in first 8 days at it

(Newser) - After years of inviting the American public to try to help with its invasive python problem, Florida has brought in some experts from the snake's original territory. Two Irula tribesmen from India are working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to catch Burmese pythons in areas including the...

Dozens of 'False Killer Whales' Die in Florida Stranding
Up to 95 Dolphins
Die in Everglades
Jan 18, 2017 7:33 AM CST

Up to 95 Dolphins Die in Everglades

They became stuck in mangroves and on mudflats

(Newser) - At least 82 dolphins, including juveniles and calves, have died in a mysterious incident in a remote section of Florida's Everglades National Park. Officials say 95 dolphins—a particular species known as false killer whales, which typically swim at depths of 3,000 feet—were seen stranded in the...

Surprise Find: Florida Python Ate 3 Deer

This is not good news for the Everglades ecosystem

(Newser) - Wildlife officials in Florida have known for a while that Burmese pythons have been eating their way through the Everglades, but the study of one particular snake has surprised them with the extent of that appetite: The 15-foot female had eaten three white-tailed deer in the 90 days before her...

Woman Reaching for Soda Nearly Loses Hand to Alligator

When doing the Dew is a definite don't

(Newser) - A woman trying to get a soda can she dropped into the water in the Everglades had her hand nearly bitten off by an alligator, the AP reports. Kimberly Ann Sexton, 49, was trying to retrieve a Mountain Dew can she dropped on Friday when the animal attacked her hand,...

Alligators Spotted Eating Human Body in Florida

But police say they weren't the killers

(Newser) - Fishermen at the edge of the Florida Everglades made a horrifying discovery Monday: two alligators eating away at a human body, the Sun Sentinel reports. After the alligators were scared off, divers recovered the body while officers stood guard with AR-15 rifles. According to CBS Miami , the body was largely...

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