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Pythons are coming to SC!
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by tigers9 on June 12, 2009
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http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/0606BurmesePythons
Pythons coming to SRS
Coming soon, snakes on a plain. And on a hill and a pond and many other places. This is a controversial hypothesis being advanced that contends a rapidly-growing population of Burmese pythons introduced into the Florida Everglades could migrate as far north as Maryland.
A group, led by Davidson College associate professor of biology Michael E. Dorcas, Ph. D., will test the contention that pythons are capable of surviving in climates similar to their natural habitat, which includes much of the Southeast U.S. The study will be conducted in a snake-proof enclosure on the Savannah River Site.
"We don't want to introduce snakes into South Carolina," Dorcas said definitively of the study that is proposing to test the range-expansion hypothesis. "We want to know how well snakes can do in expansion."
The year-long study, to be filmed by National Geographic, will begin in late June. It will examine the ability of invasive Burmese pythons to survive in a semi-natural enclosure at a different temperature than the Everglades. The study will specifically monitor the survivorship, body condition, weight, behavior and thermal biology of the pythons in Aiken - approximately midway between the Everglades and Maryland.
"The hypothesis is very controversial. There are people very critical of it," Dorcas said. "That's why we're testing this. We're hoping to shed light on the validity of the hypothesis."
The study is occurring because Burmese pythons, kept as pets for decades, have been introduced into a new habitat. The snakes were either released or escaped into the Everglades.
The pythons, which can grow longer than 20 feet and live for 15-25 years, are native to Southeast Asia and are wreaking havoc in the foreign ecosystem. Their diet in the Everglades includes raccoons, bobcats, white-tailed deer, birds and even alligators. There is concern over what the python's diet would consist of if there were a mass migration north.
Several measures are being taken to help contain the pythons during the study and ensure they won't be released into South Carolina's ecosystem. In addition to the previously-constructed, snake-proof enclosure on the Savannah River Site that Dorcas described as "impressive," the seven pythons to be used in the study are all males. That eliminates any chance of reproduction in the unlikely circumstance of escape.
There is another safeguard in place to limit the likelihood of the python's joining Aiken's environment. Each snake will have surgery to plant radio transmitters in them. Should there be an escape, members of the study will be able to track the snakes down.
While in the enclosure, the snakes will be exposed to natural environmental conditions and will have various habitats - including aquatic and subterranean. The pythons will be fed rats or rabbits every two weeks and will be measured (length and body mass) every month.
Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.
BREAKOUT
It will be difficult for the snakes to escape the enclosure that is surrounded by an 8-foot smooth-walled fence. The enclosure consists of a relatively large pond with extensive vegetation surrounded by terrestrial habitat with burrows extending approximately 1.2 meters below the surface.
The pythons will also be prevented from escaping by:
* An inward sloping ledge to the top of the fence.
* Removing trees that could provide access the exterior of the enclosure.
* Adding an electrified wire to the top of the fence.
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by pitbulllady on June 12, 2009
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Soooo....a group of captive male Burms, which are kept in an enclosure free of other predators, and fed a regular diet of probably pre-killed domestic rats and rabbits...is supposed to be a good indicator of how well Burms can survive AND reproduce in the "wilds" of SC and beyond? Having kept Burms myself, AND living in SC(nearer to the coast, where it's a good ten degrees warmer than in Aiken, on average)I can strongly attest to the fact that they cannot even tolerate normal indoor household winter temperatures, and will quickly develop serious and often-incurable respiratory infections. They seem to have far less tolerance for cooler temps than Retics(which actually prefer things on the cool side)or Boas. Anyone who has every tried to clear up a respiratory infection in a Burm knows how difficult it can be compared to other snakes. Still, I guess that they're gonna have to find out for themselves...oh, but wait, according to the Global Warming Theorists, the climate of NEW JERSEY will, in ten years, be a sub-tropical paradise just like the climate of south Florida now. Any of you Jersey residents, especially after this past winter, agree?
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by tigers9 on June 12, 2009
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i am so sick of you east coast folsk getting all the nice weather (benefits of supposed global warming).
We here in NV are stuck with ghe global cooling,since you are sucking all the hotness, not fair ;-)
Z
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by pitbulllady on June 12, 2009
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Our "nice weather" here in SC this past winter consisted of record-breaking cold and several snowstorms(which are actually very rare here-we actually had "snow days" from school for the first time in almost 10 years), and we've had cooler than normal temps through the month of May, which really had the farmers on edge a bit. When I'd lost Burms following an ice storm that knocked out power for a couple of days several years ago, I really have to wonder how they'd cope with single-digit temps like what we had this past winter...if this "global warming" gets any worse this coming winter, we're all gonna freeze to death!
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by earthguy on June 12, 2009
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If anybody around here understands snake response to temperature, it'll be Mike. He wrote the book on it (well, actually it was just a chapter in a book, but you get the idea). As far as the setup of the study...I think it's as good as you're gonna get. As a precaution, you don't want any females in the study (parthenogenisis). There is a strong correlation between how well an organism survives in a particualr ecosysyem and how likely it is to reproduce (reproduction takes energy). This will (at a minimum) give us a good data set to look at, and put another piece in the puzzle.
And don't get me started on Climate Change...I've already been flamed (more than once) for voicing my views on that touchy subject :-)
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by tigers9 on June 12, 2009
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earthguy, so at what point will the study be stopped? How many dead ro sick pythons? just wondering...anyway, anytime u feel like you want to be flamed for global warming, let me know;-)
Awfully COLD here in S. NV for this (or any ) time of year
Z
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by PeterRuegner on June 13, 2009
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When I first read this yesterday, I thought it seemed like a logical idea, which would prove that these snakes will not be able to survive outside of Florida. However, upon more thinking heavily on the subject I has several worries. First, how would we, the the reptile community, know if the end results are factual. Meaning the government agency could (not saying they would) fasify reports saying these animals could survive here. If the results were faked that would mean SC Biologists would possibly recieve state and federal funding to study these snakes. I assume the same would happen in Florida. Secondly, at the end of the test, if any survived, how would we know these were the same snakes they started with and not replacement animals? The snakes could be easily moved inside a building over night and we would never know or if they died they could easily be replaced. Even though National Geographic will be filming, cameras are not always on 24/7/365. Important facts could be left out the document without any one knowing. Thirdly, and lastly for now, if the snakes "somehow" lived we would not be allowed to keep Pythons period. a bill like S373 would be passed easily and without debate. This brings me to my solution, someone within the private reptile community needs to do the exact experiment and film the entire thing: editing nothing. Both parties should have the same results: the animals should die off by December or January. However, if SRS study proved these animals lived and we do not do this as well, we will have no evidence to argue against them thus leading to our own demise. It is just a thought, but something I feel the reptile community here in SC needs to take seriously.
thanks for reading,
Peter Ruegner
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by pictigaster1 on June 13, 2009
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I know of a retic that lived wild in texas for several years.In the panhandle.It gets very cold.I for one think if provided a good place to sit out the winter they will live.
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RE: Pythons are coming to SC!
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by earthguy on June 13, 2009
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This is not 'The Government' doing the study. SREL has put out some fantastic professional herpetologists. I have met Mike on several occasions, and nothing in any of our conversations has led me to believe that he is out to push any agenda.
We can't just sit here and say with any real authority that pythons CAN'T survive the winters in the wild in SC any more than others can say they CAN. An experiment such as this would be the next logical step. If you want to know exactly what the procedure will be for the experiment, I am certain that this will be published for peer review.
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