Burmese pythons are capable of consuming prey even larger than previously believed, according to a new study in the Everglades National Park.
This revelation suggests an even wider array of animals could fall victim to these non-native snakes across southern Florida, where they have already decimated populations of native species such as foxes, bobcats and raccoons.
A snake's 'gape' – and why it matters
Known for swallowing deer, alligators and other prey whole, pythons rely on their flexible, stretchable jaws to determine what they can eat – a feature researchers refer to as the snake’s 'gape'. Their soft, highly elastic skin contributes to over half of the gape’s circumference, enabling them to consume prey six times larger than similarly sized snakes.
Now, in a new study of Burmese pythons in the Everglades, University of Cincinnati Professor Bruce Jayne has discovered that the biggest snakes have a gape significantly larger than earlier mathematical models predicted.
Jayne and his team examined three massive pythons measuring between 4.5–5.8 metres (15–19 feet) in length. While past studies documented snakes with a gape of 22 centimetres (8.7 inches), the largest snake in Jayne’s research had a gape of 26 centimetres (10.2 inches).
“That doesn’t sound like a lot – just 18% bigger,” Jayne explains, but the total gape area increased by an astounding 40%. The largest snakes could boast a gape circumference exceeding 81 centimetres – roughly the same as a 32-inch trouser waist.
This enlarged gape allows Burmese pythons to tackle much bigger prey than once thought, says Jayne. Field observations include instances of these snakes swallowing prey such as a 35-kilogram (77-pound) deer – equivalent to two-thirds of the snake's total body weight.
“Watching an invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is unforgettable,” says Ian Bartoszek of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
“The impact Burmese pythons have on native wildlife cannot be overstated. This is a defining wildlife issue for the Greater Everglades ecosystem,” says Bartoszek, who explains that understanding the upper limits of the prey these snakes can consume is key to predicting their ecological impact as they spread into new areas.
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Why are Burmese pythons spreading in Florida?
Native to Southeast Asia’s rainforests, Burmese pythons have spread in Florida after being released into the wild through the pet trade.
Starting at just 60 centimetres (24 inches) long and weighing a mere 110 grams (4 ounces) at birth, these snakes grow rapidly. Some double in size within a year, with the largest adults reaching lengths of nearly 6 metres (20 feet) and weights over 90 kilograms (200 pounds). But pythons of this size are rare – less than 1% of the 9,000 specimens captured in Florida to date exceeded 4.9 metres (16 feet), say the researchers.
What is going to happen next?
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has spearheaded efforts to control the python population since 2013, tracking 120 'scout snakes' fitted with radio tags to understand their behaviour and habitat use.
This data informs strategies to curb the spread of these predators. To date, the team has removed 770 snakes weighing over 15 tonnes (33,000 pounds) combined. If each of these pythons consumed just one deer-sized animal, that would equate to more than 5,800 kilograms (13,000 pounds) of prey.
With pythons increasingly appearing in new locations across Florida, researchers like Jayne are concerned about their potential spread throughout the Southeast. “This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of their impact on prey populations,” Jayne concludes.
The study – Big pythons, big gape, and big prey – was published in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians.
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