Pythons slither all over the southern end of Everglades National Park. And because of them, a new study says, a lot of animals that used to be seen in the Everglades are gone — apparently gobbled up by the invading snakes.
In a report published Monday, a team of scientists said they found that between 2003 and 2011, the areas where pythons had proliferated saw a 99 percent decrease in raccoons, a 98 percent drop in opossums, a 94 percent drop in white-tailed deer and an 87 percent falloff for bobcats. And that’s not the worst of it.
“We observed no rabbits or foxes,” the report noted.
The bottom line: “In areas where pythons have been established the longest … mammal populations appear to have been severely reduced.”
Read the complete story in today’s Tampa Bay Times.