Another SNAKE thread!

[Arthur27]

Sadly I have only found 4 DB in Central Florida over the past 25 years. 3 were dead due to cars or killed by a person. The only live one I found was beautiful. It was about 4 feet. However the area I found him in is now a big development.

I was down in the Glades last February and it seems the python population took a hit due to the freeze. Were there many python sightings this past summer? I wonder how big a hit the population took due to the freeze.

On a side note I was in Animal Kingdom a couple of years ago and there was a ribbon snake in the digs playground area. The CM was scared to death. I helped him by liberating the snake in some near by bushes that boarded the park.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Are you sure it wasn't Mickey?!?!?!?!?!?!

Super funny!

 

[JimMIA]

However the area I found him in is now a big development.

Welcome to Florida!

I was down in the Glades last February and it seems the python population took a hit due to the freeze. Were there many python sightings this past summer? I wonder how big a hit the population took due to the freeze.

They took a hit, but we're not sure how big. I think some of those "Mother Nature strikes back" stories were overblown. The State of Florida licensed some folks to hunt pythons last year -- at a time when we don't see them much, and in a place where we don't see them much. The hunt was a huge bust, so the assumption was that the cold weather did them in. I personally doubt that, but I'll check with our snake guy and see what he thinks.

The manatees unfortunately took a very big hit, and we lost some American Crocodiles as well. As you probably know, both are endangered.

We're getting some python sightings recently, and honestly I don't think they are any less common than before. I killed a small one a couple of weeks ago (6-7 feet) and we've had two others spotted since then just in the one place where I work...which is not one of the heavier python population spots. Last week, we had a 12-footer killed on the highway just outside the park. So they're obviously still around.