Shocking video of the autopsy of a giant Burmese python in Florida has resurfaced on Reddit, raising awareness of the state’s massive invasive species problem.
What happened?
“Florida is America’s Australia” is a loose internet saying that alludes to their shared tendency to place “wild” in “wild animals.”
On the r/InterestingAsF*** subreddit, a user shared a video describing a necropsy, or animal autopsy, of an 18-foot-long python that had been euthanized by Everglades National Park staff as required by law. The clip was originally shared on Instagram by geoscientist Rosie Moore (@rosiekmoore), who attended the autopsy.
When the researchers began cutting away, they discovered an intact, undigested 5-foot-long alligator.
While the video is disturbing without context, it also quietly serves as an object lesson.
Alligators are native to Florida, but Burmese pythons are not, and for its shock value, this video details the dangers of invasive species.
Why is this incident causing concern?
Alligator attacks are not uncommon, and Florida natives know to be on the lookout for lurking alligators.
It’s easy to confuse native predators with invasive species, but the latter is an entirely different issue.
Like many invasive species, Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida through the exotic pet trade and were first recorded in 1979.
“This is an anniversary we didn’t want to celebrate,” the National Park Service said in marking the 40th anniversary of the sighting. The U.S. Geological Survey took a similar view, adding that invasive species such as the Burmese python have caused more than $1.21 trillion in damage since 1960.
In 2012, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that mammal populations in Florida had plummeted due to the impact of Burmese pythons, which meant that in addition to killing large numbers of prey, the snakes were outcompeting native predators such as alligators for food.
Native species displaced by invasion may exhibit unusual and dangerous behaviors, such as invading human habitats in search of food and endangering humans.
The USGS notes that Burmese pythons are “well adapted” to the Everglades, thriving in the Everglades climate and blending in with their environment to the point of being difficult to spot.
One Reddit user in Florida lamented the spread of the invasive snakes: “They are invasive and killing native species at an alarming rate. We do python hunts every year… to try to control their numbers… and they are starting to thrive outside of the Everglades as well. This is definitely not what we want.”
What measures are being taken?
As a Reddit user pointed out, annual organized python hunts incentivize locals to help eradicate the species.
“The most effective way to prevent invasive species in Florida is to prevent them from getting here in the first place,” the NPS stressed, drawing attention to critical climate issues like invasive species.
Bryan Falk, Everglades National Park’s invasive species supervisory biologist, urges people to report invasive plants and animals and stresses the importance of early detection.
“The public’s reports are important because they help us make management decisions,” Falk explained.
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