Burmese Python
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This page contains two photos of a Burmese
python that I took in the Everglades (south Florida, USA)
on Wednesday, 11 December 2002 at about 11:40 am.
This species is not native to Florida. Pet owners dump them when they discover how big they get and when the novelty wears off. A park employee at Everglades National Park told me that Burmese pythons (and also green anacondas) are not uncommon in the park. |
This webpage written by Tom Spinker Page released on 17 December 2002 Last updated 29 June 2005 Copyright © 2002 - 2005 All Rights Reserved I make no warranties as to the accuracy of any of the info on this website. Home Snakes |
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I was bicycling along a dead-end road which has almost no traffic;
only an occasional fisherman. I saw two other snakes -- a racer and
a ringneck -- plus several turtles, anoles, alligators.
Temperature was in the low 80's.
Location is in the Everglades, but outside the boundaries of Everglades National Park.
I glanced at this thing as I passed it. I thought it was a fire hose or a discarded drain pipe. But I turned back to double-check. |
11 December 2002 -- 11:40 am
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I had to check photos on the internet to determine that
the snake is a Burmese Python.
Snake was about ten feet long. It looked healthy. Photos were taken with Pentax Spotmatic II and 100mm lens. I gave permission to Davidson College to use this photo on a webpage on pythons: Davidson College Python Digestion |
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Burmese Python Info
These snakes are from SE Asia.
The name refers to the country of Burma, which is now called Myanmar.
They are common in the pet trade.
They are one of the six largest snakes in the world.
People buy them as pets, apparently not believing that they really grow to 25 feet and
defecate like a horse.
There is little market for adult pythons, and few owners want to euthanize a pet, so
unwanted snakes are often dumped in the wild.
According to the Honolulu Zoo webpage, in the northern part of
its range, the Burmese Python might hibernate during the cold months of the year.
(So it should be able to survive in the south Florida climate.)
Burmese Pythons might live to an age of 25 years.
and from Melissa Kaplan's Herp Care Collection: |
Book
There is a new Florida Snake book written by Dick Bartlett just released
in November 2003
Florida Snakes: A Guide to their Identification and Habits
This book includes Burmese Pythons and five other introduced species.
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