Hybrid man-eating pythons? Florida is on alert.

yahoo ^ | Sep 14, 2009 | Patrik Jonsson

[george76]

In an case of real life imitating Hollywood, the US scientific community is increasingly concerned that two nonnative python breeds currently slithering free in south Florida could morph into a giant man-eating swamp coil.

The capture of five African rock pythons recently near an Everglades already teeming with the gentler Burmese pythons has scientists worried about so-called "hybrid vigor" – a phenomenon that occurs when interbreeding uncorks volatile recessive genes, passing traits such as aggression onto the offspring. Think Africanized bees.

The two species have interbred in captivity. While Burmese pythons aren't known to eat people in their native habitat, the African rock python, unfortunately, has been known to do just that.

The rock python "is mean right out of the egg, and they don't ever tame down," ...

the looming possibility of "hybrid vigor" between nonnative species means the Everglades are turning into a herpetologist's version of Dr. Frankenstein's lab.

"It's a big petri dish," ... "You keep introducing things and, yeah, you don't know what's going to turn out."

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Can we train the hybrid pythons to eat the blue-haired transplants from blue states?

See, there is a silver lining in every storm cloud.

[Buck W.]

Hybrid men beware!

[SeekAndFind]

Some pictures are in order :

A view of the python's mouth

[Anti-Bubba182]

Why don’t they put a bounty on the damn snakes and get a bunch of hunters and kill every one of them.

[nascarnation]

Let’s face them off with a pack of starved pitbulls on PPV.
Anything to get Baraq off the air......

[Night Hides Not]

Can we train the hybrid pythons to eat the blue-haired transplants from blue states?

Isn't that one facet of Obamacare?

[fortunate sun]

Similar to fire ants, killer bees and kudzu, the “research” will continue until the problem is beyond repair. Kill the sumbitches and study via necropsy.

[DonaldC]

“Why don’t they put a bounty on the damn snakes and get a bunch of hunters and kill every one of them.”

Environmental impact studies alone would take years...hehehe

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

[JustaDumbBlonde]

[gargoyle]

...In a way, it’s sad. People casting away pets, that shouldn’t have had them at all. Snakes had a bad name before this, now it will get worse. The Florida anaconda menace...

[Seaplaner]

The rock python "is mean right out of the egg, and they don't ever tame down," ...

Not true!

If you can talk to them, calmly and without preconditions, and maybe apologize a little they will, of course, become quite friendly.

[jazusamo]

Florida should legalize the shooting of them from helicopters and small fixed wing aircraft, it’ll take the heat off shooting wolves in Alaska. :)

[Anti-Bubba182]

"Environmental impact studies alone would take years...hehehe"

How about kill them all and then do the study. Or better yet, feed the snakes all the granola eating Hippie tree huggers, then kill them and do the study.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Why don’t they put a bounty on the damn snakes and get a bunch of hunters and kill every one of them.

It is too late, they are completely established in Florida. It would be just as easy as exterminating Palmetto Bugs!

[Rebelbase]

“Whadda ya mean I shot up a drainage pipe? The thing looked like a python from the air”

[billorites]

[Night Hides Not]

I’ll bet someone’s working on a screenplay as we speak.

[jazusamo]

LOL!

It’s to be expected that a few honest mistakes will be made.

[Truth29]

This reads like the plot for a SyFy channel monster movie of the week.

[george76]

They could do a catch & release in several liberal cities.

[6SJ7]

Would a hybrid python get better milage than a regular python?

[GOPJ]

Pet stores should be fined a million dollars for every African python they sell... not enough to pay? Close the door and declare bankruptcy..

[jazusamo]

That works for me. Portland and San Francisco should be at the top of the list.

[Anti-Bubba182]

They stopped Gator Hunting because they were endangered. Let the snakes be killed on sight and let’s see how the snakes hold up.

[Myrddin]

My Burmese python was 18" long on initial purchase. A year later, it was 5 ft. "Monty" was a fine pet until she latched onto my wife's hand when offered a rat dangling by the tail. The teeth marks on her hand left a characteric "U" shape with individual punctures about 1/8" deep each. We found a childless couple who were skilled herpetologists to be her new keepers.

Some years later, I visited a customer in West Palm Beach. He had a small 80 lb male who was quite docile. His 150 lb female was too aggressive to handle. Both of them ate a live chicken each week.

My Rosy Boa is approaching 15 years of age. "Eve" eats a couple mice each month and is only about 15 inches long. Just fine in the living room terrarium. No danger to pets or visitors.

[Myrddin]

That kangaroo is larger, stronger and faster than most pre-teen kids.

[newfreep]

What genetic defect would cause a human to keep a snake they know will grow large enough to devour them or small children. TOTALLY INSANE!!!!!

[Myrddin]

Some people are very surprised at how quickly they grow. The pet shops are happy to move "product" without offering any reasonable counseling to the uninformed shopper. A Burmese python will grow to 20 ft and 200 lbs at maturity.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Fifteen inches after fifteen years sounds like the right kind of Python. Are they big enough to eat mice? If not mice, then what?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Oops, sorry, you have already told us.

[Kenny Bunk]

I, not presently a scientist, but a Holiday Inn customer, believe that these two python species will hybridize in Florida. But like everything else in the swampy former Spanish colony, they will become lazy, slow-witted, inefficient, and completely harmless, but boring.

I also think they will be unable to operate motor vehicles, but will vote absentee in New Jersey, New York, and Michigan, as well as in Florida, where the punch cards will surpass their understanding and lead to hanging chads galore.

[D Rider]

Let’s face them off with a pack of starved pitbulls on PPV.
Anything to get Baraq off the air......

Can we get Michael Vick as host?

[Rebelbase]

"This reads like the plot for a SyFy channel monster movie of the week."

Trust me, it was bad.

[The Comedian]

What genetic defect would cause a human to keep a snake they know will grow large enough to devour them or small children. TOTALLY INSANE!!!!!

Have you noticed what has happened by continuing to feed the Democrat Party? Have you noticed it's present "leader" has devoured your children's children before they are even born?

A third, maybe even half of America subconsciously wants to become extinct.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[BlueNgold]

If this takes more than 6 months to work into CSI Miami I will be shocked...

[Neidermeyer]

Anything that can swallow an antelope (with horns) whole needs to be hunted.

[bobby.223]

I’d pay, it would be a hell of a battle!!! I say we have chet99 promote it! the ‘lets get ready to rumble guy’ could be the announcer and that disney fellow who used to jump out of boats and wrestle snakes in the swamps from that ‘50’s TV show could add color commentary, if he isn’t already dead of course.

[bobby.223]

LOL!!!!!!

[uncbob]

Them damn things must have pure acid as stomach juices and a stomach liner of gold

[shibumi]

Single shot - Let's keep it sporting!

[muawiyah]

Man Eating Snake

[RavenATB]

What the hell...we’ve got every other freak-ass species here in Florida...humand and animal. We shure as hell have one of the biggest “tax-a-saurus” populations on the planet Why not a monster snake, too...

[beaversmom]

What do they mean they're aggressive?

[adorno]

Florida should legalize the shooting of them from helicopters and small fixed wing aircraft

PETA would have a problem with that. But, I have a solution for PETA... If they don't want the snakes killed, then PETA should take it upon themselves to round up an army of PETA members and unleash them on the Everglades to find the snakes. And, once all the snakes that can be found are rounded up, PETA should undertake to find them perfectly good homes in an island somewhere that's not inhabited by people. Then, whatever snakes weren't rounded up by PETA will become fair game for the hunters. So, that way PETA would have good incentive to make sure they find all the snakes there are in the Everglades.

[adorno]

This reads like the plot for a SyFy channel monster movie of the week.

Nah!

SyFy has done just about every angle and plot there could be with snakes. Ain't nothing left.

[SuperLuminal]

"The rock python "is mean right out of the egg, and they don't ever tame down," ... "

Heck! What's the big deal ....we already have a national infestation of democrats/marxists with the same characteristics....Just look at the Whore House

[HereInTheHeartland]

That’s a scary looking ACORN member in that picture.

[bobby.223]

how ‘bout a snake versus a B-52 strike....