Record Size Burmese Python Killed in Florida

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission photo

Burmese pythons in Florida are going to keep growing and becoming more widespread, as a Miami man confirmed earlier this month. The same story already is playing out with other exotics, as we pay the price for government’s failure to regulate and restrict the import of potentially dangerous and damaging fish, wildlife, and plant species.

Only in the case of Burmese pythons, there’s an increasing risk to human life.

You doubt that?

General wisdom has it that these snakes grow to 17 or 18 feet and can weigh 200 pounds or more. But here’s the thing: These snakes are established in new territory, with none of the variables (climate, disease, predators, etc.) that naturally would inhibit growth and expansion in their native range.

That’s already being shown with silver and bighead carp, as they spread and crowd out native fisheries with their massive numbers. It’s evident with the snakehead. Just a year ago, one of world-record proportions was pulled from the Potomac River.

The python that Jason Leon killed in a rural area of southeast Miami-Dade County measured 18 feet, 8 inches long and weighed 128 pounds, a record for Florida.  That’s already large enough to kill and consume a child or dog.

And these invaders are going to keep growing . . . and spreading . . .

Here’s a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Live Fish Found in Tsunami Debris on West Coast

You knew that it was going to happen, and it finally has. On the West Coast, scientists have found live fish in debris from what they believe was the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Previously, they had found only invertebrates.

The fish has been identified as a striped beakfish, also known as a barred knifejaw. Five of them were found in a half-flooded boat of Japanese registration, with one kept alive at Oregon’s Seaside Aquarium and four euthanized for study. The live specimen is about 5 inches long.

"The reproductive status and age will help us figure out if they rode the entire way from Japan starting over two years ago, or most likely they came from Hawaii," said Allen Pleus, aquatic invasive species coordinator at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Even from Hawaii, the fish would have survived a journey of nearly 3,000 miles.

It's unlikely that any fish that escaped the boat will survive in the cool waters off the Washington and Oregon coastlines, Pleus said. Had the boat landed further south, it's possible the fish could have established themselves.

Go here to learn more.

Giant Snail Is Yet Another Invader That Threatens Florida

If you live in a stucco house in south Florida, good luck. You’re going to need it.

As if Burmese pythons moving out of the Everglades weren’t enough to worry about, an explosion of African land snails is occurring. Growing to the size of a rat, these exotic mollusks will chew up stucco and plaster for the calcium that they contain, as well as devour plants --- lots and lots of plants.

Scientists estimate that they will feed on more than 500 species. In other words, just about anything that's green, and that could have catastrophic consequences for Florida agriculture and horticulture. And, oh yeah, they also carry a parasite that can cause illness in humans.

Reuters says this about the snails:

“ In some Caribbean countries, such as Barbados, which are overrun with the creatures, the snails' shells blow out tires on the highway and turn into hurling projectiles from lawnmower blades, while their slime and excrement coat walls and pavement.”

To watch a video about this invader, go here.

Anglers 'Connect' with Burmese Python

If you fish long enough, you’re going to catch something besides a fish. I guarantee it.

I first realized that when I was a kid and an owl grabbed my Jitterbug. Fortunately, separating bird from bait proved harmless--- but not easy---  for both of us.

The same was true when I snagged an alligator with a crankbait on Lake Okeechobee and when a seal decided to eat the striper that I had hooked on a jig up in Maine.

I’ve tangled with a few turtles as well, both snappers and soft shells.

But I’ve never hooked a snake, much less one that’s almost as long as my boat. That’s exactly what happened recently when Joe Holland and Brett Darmody were fishing a tournament in the Everglades.

One of the trebles on Holland’s crankbait snagged the back of a Burmese python, an invasive species that is gobbling up native wildlife and reproducing at an alarming rate.

Go here to find out what happened.

Snakeheads in the Big Apple?

Snakeheads might be lurking in waters of New York City’s Central Park.

I’m sorry about this, but this is just the way my mind works: When I first learned of this, I couldn’t help but think of the song made famous by Frank Sinatra.

I want to wake up in that city 
That doesn't sleep 
And find I'm king of the hill 
Top of the heap 

 And how about this? 

If I can make it there 
I'll make it anywhere 
It's up to you 
New York, New York

I hope that’s not true in regard to snakeheads. 

Here’s the New York Times’ take on the hunt for snakeheads in Central Park.