Pythons extend their grip on parts of South Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Burmese pythons appear to be slithering into new territory, extending their range and putting more of South Florida’s wildlife at risk of becoming lunch.

Python hatchlings were discovered for the first time on Key Largo, an ominous development for the island’s wildlife, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Thursday. Two weeks ago, a 10-foot python was found on a levee at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County.

The big snakes, which can swim, have been found for years on Key Largo. But the discovery of three hatchlings in August is the first evidence that they have established a breeding population there.

The python at the Loxahatchee refuge was discovered by a law enforcement officer driving on a levee at night. Upon seeing the python, he hit the brakes but ran over it. The snake was still alive, so he killed it with a machete, said Steve Henry, deputy project leader at the refuge.

The snake’s remains are being analyzed. If its DNA and stomach contents reveal it to be a wild python, it would be the first such snake found on the refuge, Henry said. The main concern would be the refuge’s small mammals, such as raccoons, opossums and woodrats, he said. “If you look at what happened with the python at Everglades National Park, it started with the small mammals,” he said.

Native to southern Asia, Burmese pythons established a breeding population in Everglades National Park in the 1990s, as a by-product of the exotic pet business. There are thought to be some combination of released pets and escapees from a breeding facility damaged in Hurricane Andrew.