Invasive Burmese pythons are without question the bane of Florida’s ecosystems. Since their confirmed presence in the Everglades National Park in 2000, their destructive impact on native wildlife has spread throughout the state as populations continue to explode. It’s so bad that some scientists are urging people to consider adopting a diet that’s heavier on python meat, while Florida now officially hosts an annual Python Hunting Challenge to help cull the reptile’s numbers. But as experts continue their uphill battle against the serpents, it’s becoming clearer how Burmese pythons are so well-equipped to thrive in the Panhandle State—new research proves the snakes are capable of swallowing prey that are even bigger than mathematical models suggested possible.
Burmese pythons are born from nests containing between 50-100 eggs, and initially measure around two-feet-long. By the end of their first year, however, they routinely double in size. Most adults don’t exceed 16 ft in length, but hunters have documented a handful spanning almost 20 ft and weighing over 200 lbs each. Their diets involve swallowing whole bobcats, raccoons, foxes, and even alligators—this is made possible thanks to their lower jawbone that isn’t fused at the front, which allows them to stretch them basically as far as their soft, pliable skin can handle. This makes a Burmese python capable of consuming prey six-times-bigger than what other snake species of similar sizes can eat. But according to a study recently published in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians, these gaping maws can expand bigger than experts once believed.
“Watching an invasive apex predator swallow a full-sized deer in front of you is something that you will never forget,” Ian Bartoszek, a researcher at the Conservancy…
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