Building upon the topic of my last post, it has now been suggested via a year long study that Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are responsible for the death of native species within the Florida Everglades.
What they did
A team led by Robert Francis of the University of Florida captured native marsh rabbits (Sylvilagus palustris), fitting a total of 95 trackers to adults that included a mortality sensor which notified them of the animals death. The rabbits were then released onto three separate sites, two sites had pythons present whilst the third had no observed pythons present. The team stated that they chose marsh rabbits for the study due to their prolific breeding habits suggesting, that it would be harder to wipe such a species out.
The rabbits were radio tracked at least once every two days and any carcasses found were examined for cause of death; predation by either the python or alligators was easy to detect as it was often still located within the body of the animal. Two carcasses which were found were also tested for traces of python DNA.
What they found
Once the year long study had been completed, the findings showed that only two rabbits had survived, with the team documenting a total of 68 rabbit deaths (If like me you are wondering what happened to the other 25 rabbits which were tracked to make up the total of 95, it does not mention them so unfortunately I can not provide an accurate answer other then to guess that they were not retrieved). In the areas of the park where pythons were present it showed that they were responsible for 75% of the deaths compared to 71% in areas where they were not present which, were were caused by mammalian predators, leading them to suggest that the pythons were the main threat for the species decline.
My Views
Firstly I am drawn to the conclusion made by this study, how can it suggest that the python is any more of a threat to the species when the two percentages are so similar? Surely all this data would suggest is that where pythons are present they are the new apex predator and therefore are out competing other native mammals for the same food source meaning, that the python is more of a threat to the native predators which it out-competes, then to the marsh rabbit which it preys upon as, the rabbit is still preyed heavily upon by mammalian species where the python is not present.
Secondly this study is again being used as a reason to back Americas reasoning that exotic species such as the Burmese python should be banned from ownership but again alike a lot of the studies that supposedly support this theory there is often plenty of misinterpretations that are too questionable to allow these studies to be used as evidence. I agree that the pythons are a invasive species and should be removed from the area but I do not agree that it should result in a ban of a species as a result; over the years thousands of domestic species such as livestock i.e. pigs and goats and dogs and cats have escaped and become feral across America and the rest of the world and not once have I heard of any of these countries banning the ownership, or importation of any of these species; it seems that because there is so much stipulation and poor education about exotic species such as reptiles and snakes that they become an easy target for eradication but they are many reptile owners out there who love and care for there bearded dragon, corn snake or Burmese python as much as any cat or dog, rabbit or guinea pig owner loves their pet, they are part of their family just as much and I only hope that with a bit of education and understanding it will be that way for many more years to come.
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To view the original paper click here
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