New Python Hybrid May Spell Future Trouble in Everglades
What started out as a straightforward genetic study of Florida’s invasive python population has turned up a surprising plot twist: a small number of crossbred Burmese and Indian pythons with the potential to become a kind of Everglades super snake.
For the study, published Sunday in the journal Ecology and Evolution, U.S. Geological Survey researchers examined the tail tissue of 400 snakes captured in South Florida, from the Big Cypress Swamp to the Everglades. While the vast majority appeared to be closely related Burmese pythons — imagine a family reunion packed with first and second cousins — 13 had genetic markers from Indian pythons, a different species that unlike the swamp-loving Burmese snake prefers high, dry ground.
Because Hunter and her colleagues focused on genetics, it’s not yet clear how climate will play into the snake’s evolution. Scientists suspect that a warming planet will allow them to roam further north. An upcoming study looking at how the snake has adapted should shed some light, she said.
In the meantime, the rapid expansion has provided researchers with a rare window into evolution dynamics. “All species do this,” Hunter said. “But we’re watching evolutionary progress right in front of us.”
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article217109205.html
University of Florida researchers show the scale of an 18-foot, 8-inch python undergoing a necropsy at their Gainesville lab in 2013.
University of Florida/AP
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