Gator guzzling pythons

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Abner, Oct 6, 2005.

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  1. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

  2. Rich Hartel

    Rich Hartel New Member

    To Abner, greetings,

    This is nothing new in Florida, if I remember correctly about 10-12 years ago, a family living in Florida found a 21 foot long, 200 hundred pound Python snake living under their home, it took about six men to pull it out. The snake was brought onto the Johnny Carson show shortly before he retired.

    Can you imagine finding a large reptile like that laying out in your back yard?
     
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

  4. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

     
  5. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    So biologists are concerned that the non-native Burmese Python could threaten other species in the Everglades? Too bad! Mother Nature ain't pretty! Some animals die in order that others might have dinner and that's just the way it is!
     
  6. JLV

    JLV Active Member

    Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    The real problem is to introduce a new predator with no enemies, which is powerful enough (apparently) to take care of a gator. The current balance is broken, and you all know what happens from previous examples like rats in Australia or diseases in America; that the outcome is basically imposible to predict but bad enough. Indeed, terrible news for the Everglades.
     
  7. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    These things happen. Why does man think that he is so omniscient and omnipotent that he should and could interfere with the survival of the fittest?
     
  8. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Sometimes the "fittest" only survive because they get into a place where they don't belong. It is very easy to survive when you have no enemies. See "rabbit and Australia" or "Georgia and kuduz".

    More scary than the pythons though are the cobras that have also gone native.

    Deb
     
  9. qvatlanta

    qvatlanta New Member

    "Survival of the fittest" isn't really an evolutionary concept, just a popular cliche.

    Preserving the integrity of ecosystems is in our own (human species) best interest. It's not altruism, just long-term thinking. Letting them collapse means more problems for us in the future... think Easter Island on a large scale.
     
  10. Rich Hartel

    Rich Hartel New Member

    Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    To Tom Heiks, greetings,

    Your right about mother nature, some animals do die so that others may eat. The only problem I have is we better be careful, because a snake that big and you and I could be that dinner!:eek:
     
  11. Rich Hartel

    Rich Hartel New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

     
  12. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    My point was that maybe we should stop trying to save every single species and just leave nature to take its course. Yes, I'm smart enough to realize that some animals, like alligators and pythons might look at me and say: "Wow! A huge walking hamburger! Lunchtime, boys!" Accordingly, it might behoove me, if I were to ever go someplace where I might come into a close encounter of the first kind with gators and pythons or other kinds of animals that might see me as a walking hamburger, to learn how to defend myself against said animals, including taking the lives of such animals if necessary. And the misguided flip-headed liberals in the government should stand the hell out of my way if things should come to that.
     
  13. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons


    He, he, he! Rolaids or Tums would not help! Here is what I find strange. A python kills by constriction, just like a Boa. I wonder why these Burmese pythons are not completely killing their prey before consumption? A Boa or Python usually does not attempt to swallow (by unhinging their jaws) their prey until it stops breathing via suffocation.

    The fact that these gators are clawing their way out of the pythons abdomens obviously tells me they were not rendered completely unconscious. It almost seems as if these pythons are straying from their natural instincts. But then, maybe I am just overthinking this.


    See ya Rich,


    Abner :)
     
  14. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Hi Deb:


    Do you know what areas the Cobra has gone native? I find that extremely interesting.


    Thanks,


    Abner :)
     
  15. JLV

    JLV Active Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    More than omniscient and omnipotent, man is careless. Or do you think by chance that this Burma python just went there by itself, looking for food or a place to chill in Florida? Whomever put that animal there screwed up the ecological equilibrium. Luckily enough the python died as well, unable to digest the gator.


    Regards
     
  16. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Gator guzzling pythons

    I would think it would be one heck of a long trip for a python to just accidentally happen to get lost and swim from Burma to Florida. So, likely it seems that some idiot humanoid decided he wanted a Burma python for a pet, then decided against it and dumped said python. So, yes, a humanoid screwed up. The only difference now is that once upon a time the gator was the undisputed top of the Everglades food chain. Now the gator and the python are co-equally sharing that honor. As the article noted, sometimes the python wins and sometimes the gator wins. These things happen.
     
  17. Deb

    Deb New Member

    According to the report on Animal Planet it is the area just outside of Miami International Airport. This is the same place that the pythons were first noticed too. There are a lot of exotic animals dealers in the area - and some of them are sloppy in their caging.

    So far the cobras aren't nearly as widespread as the pythons. Other exotics that are now loose include several large lizards, like iguanas.

    Peach faced parrots and monk parrots are a huge problem in the state too.

    Going further back, flamingos and cattle egerts are not native either. The flamingos are ones that escaped from zoos, pets, brought in for decoration. The cattle egerts were carried over in several hurricanes during the 30's. My roommates father was the first to report a sighting of one.

    Deb
     
  18. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Thanks for the info. Deb. This kind of thing really interests me.



    Have a good day!


    Abner :)
     
  19. Deb

    Deb New Member

    Not a problem, Abner.

    The Florida Department of Ag has a good page on invasive species.

    It's pretty amazing what has gone native in the state.

    Deb
     
  20. decimon

    decimon Well-Known Member

    Yeah, the geezers are out of hand.
     

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