Posted on 06/09/2023 4:27:14 PM PDT by george76
Burmese pythons are killing off mammals that would normally keep Florida's rat population in check.
A new study found that parts of the Florida Everglades were becoming overrun with rats as a result.
It may be good news for the cotton rats, but it could spell serious danger for humans.
Florida's Burmese pythons have been known to prey on birds, reptiles, deer, and even alligators. But one thing they don't seem to have a taste for is cotton rats.
And the rats are thriving because of it.
...
cotton rats "dominate the community" in parts of the Florida Everglades where pythons were prevalent.
...
Pythons are helping cotton rats take over..
...
what was killing and consuming most of the rats were the usual suspects: birds of prey, mammals, and other reptiles. The plot twist here is that pythons are snacking on the same animals that enjoy cotton-rat dinners.
the number of predators cotton rats face was declining and would likely continue to do so if Florida's invasive-python problem persisted.
Florida has a serious invasive-python problem
...
Burmese pythons aren't native to Florida and actually hail from Southeast Asia.
...
Florida's python infestation has thrown the state's delicate ecosystems off-balance and has led to severe declines in mammalian populations, including raccoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, and cottontail and marsh rabbits.
The US Geological Survey said the snakes were "one of the most concerning invasive species in Everglades National Park."
And McCleery said his team was seeing the rippling effects cascade down the food chain.
The lack of predators like foxes to hunt cotton rats "helps explain why mammal communities in python-invaded portions of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem are increasingly dominated by cotton rats and other rodents," the researchers wrote in the study.
Cotton rats carry concerning diseases..
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Pythons don’t like the taste of cotton rats? Never heard of them before.
Never mind, they don’t like cotton rats. How bizarre. Picky snakes!
Hey DeSantis...make a 24/7 365 open season on the filthy things with FIREARMS! No more of this humane killing pussy footing crap!
Maybe the snakes are using the rats for bait.
You mean to tell me there’s not even one Sports Team or Motorcycle Club named after the (unofficial) State Snake? I can see a college wrestling team called The Pythons, and how fitting that would be. Some choke holds resemble the hold of a large snake.
Another wonderful “benefit” of diversity and open borders. Total destruction of the ecosystem through invasive species.
Eating cotton rats would be racist.
Yahoo is writing about the pythons as if this was something new. It’s not. But I bet these same folks whine about the Florida python hunts.
There are all kinds of native rats. Most of them want no interaction with people. “Rat rats” are Euro imports.
Makes sense. We used to have hundreds of Purple Martins for years until incredibly bad Luck. Had a major storm that blew a few houses over and destroyed eggs, then the very next summer the colony was raided by a very hungry young Raccoon. The ones left decided to seek a safer neighborhood.
Anyway while I love P Martins I noticed the number of mosquitoes really didn’t change much. You see P Martins will eat Mosquitoes a bit but what they really love…are Dragonflies.
Dragonflies basically live on Mosquitoes.
The pet trade has changed Florida. If anything, illegals will eat the invasives.
Florida hawks are probably OK with this.
Lol! A scary thought indeed! Much prefer low IQ serpents, especially very slow ones.
Not easy to slide down a python's gullet.
Tell that to the Vietnamese. Hmm. Maybe we should take a clue from the Cambodians and start an export business:
Cambodian rat meat: A growing export market
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28863315
According to this, cotton rats carry Everglades Fever:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/rats-taking-over-everglades/
Which appears to be a variant of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/everglades-virus
But apparently, symptomatic cases in humans are rare. That’s nice. Actually, those cotton rats are kinda cute.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.