Food Chains
The Python Patrol looks at the broad food web within the ecosystem. However, we pride ourselves on understanding the role of every single organism within this magnificent ecosystem. Below are just a few food chains within The Everglades. Feel free to check out the species in even more depth on the rest of our website.
Tragic Repurcussions
A road test was conducted in Florida to evaluate the effects of the Burmese Python on Everglades mammal populations. Python Patrol squad cars drove down main roads that mammals frequently cross at around 65 kph. Our researchers collected 6 pythons, and on 5 out of 9 trips, no mammals were found at all. This data was compared to a similar nearby ecosystem that does not have any Burmese Pythons. In Corbett, 40 mammals were found. Although this is not definitive statistical research, it shows how deadly The Burmese Pythons are, and will be in the future.
“A study released in 2011 linked a 99-plus percent decrease in the frequency of raccoons observed in Everglades National Park since 2003 to the rise of invasive species, specifically Burmese pythons. That same study also found a nearly 99 percent decrease in opossums and an 87.5 percent drop in the bobcat population; rabbits were no longer observed in the park at all. More than 40 species have been discovered in the snakes’ bellies, including endangered animals like the wood stork and Key Largo wood rat."
“A study released in 2011 linked a 99-plus percent decrease in the frequency of raccoons observed in Everglades National Park since 2003 to the rise of invasive species, specifically Burmese pythons. That same study also found a nearly 99 percent decrease in opossums and an 87.5 percent drop in the bobcat population; rabbits were no longer observed in the park at all. More than 40 species have been discovered in the snakes’ bellies, including endangered animals like the wood stork and Key Largo wood rat."