How Far North Will Florida's Pythons Spread? | Invasive Biogeography

Florida has a serious problem with invasive species, including Burmese pythons. Will those pythons become a problem for other states too? How far north will Florida’s pythons spread?

Film Sources:

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Daniel Davis (self).

Image sources:

Google Earth
Brian Brettschneider
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.

[johnstevenson]

We're human beings! If we can't render a species extinct, we're not trying!

[kylemarkham]

I did my senior thesis in college on this exact topic several years ago. This video almost feels like you read my notes from my defense giving this presentation. The biggest takeaway from my research was what you briefly touched on with their dormancy behaviors. In almost every case I could find, they continued to bask as temperatures approached freezing, to the point that many would develop moderate to severe respiratory infections in temperatures around 30F-45F, even if they did survive a short cold spell. These respiratory infections were often fatal even when treated (cannot remember the source, but I believe it was a smaller institute conducting research near Jacksonville, FL). Gopher tortoise burrows, like you explained, would be one of their only refuges if they were to make it to the panhandle due to how deep they go, and those are becoming scarcer by the year. If they were to make it into the limestone caves that you start to see in the Appalachian Mountain Range, they would have a chance in the foothills of the southern range, providing better dormancy behaviors were selected for. I concluded they would likely not expand much farther than the ranges of the American crocodile without further selective pressures, and at most make it as far north as mangrove forests in the relatively near future with a bit of luck on their side. Props to the video! Really took me back and many of these studies were not around when I did mine. Super cool to see more about it six years later.

[fishingarrett]

From my years of experience, working with Burmese pythons I’m confident they can’t live in North Florida

[jesselore]

It's important to note, invasive species adapt to move into new environments that are completely different to their native home ranges. We have experienced that with the cane toad here in Australia, it has evolved longer legs in the norther west enabling it to penetrate landscapes that remained barriers in their home habitats. Southern cane toad populations have evolved thermo regulation genes that enable it to survive Australia's southern cold temperate climates that are 20-30Deg C lower than their native climates.

[wickedmikes]

I live just south of Miami, Florida, on the edge of the Everglades, and have something like thirty years experience with reptiles, including both Burmese pythons and Indian rock pythons. This video should be shown in Biology classes everywhere. Truly the most informative and factually accurate breakdown on the subject I’ve seen yet.

[dwaneanderson]

It should be noted that the pythons haven't adapted to more northern climates in Asia despite having had millennia to evolve there. They might not do it in the US either.

[JamesMedina-schz]

Excellent video. I'm from the reptile community here in Florida and people forget about the whole reptile warehouse destroyed on S Florida during Hurricane Andrew. I believe it was Andrew. But the facility was destroyed and it slung invasive species in every direction. In South Florida we have African Rock Burmese and Retic populations thriving here. Great video. Good information. Makes total sense. Good stuff. I just subscribed. Thank you for making this video brother

[ForwardPlans]

In the late 70's and early 80's, one couldn't go to a party anywhere without someone showing up with a pet python, named Monty.
That's where Florida's pythons came from.

[stevena]

I'm a former snake keeper living in north western South Carolina and can say from personal experience I find it highly unlikely a Burmese would survive the cold winters here. It's often single digit or low teens for weeks on end.

[EdwardHamiltonDavis]

Great video. Full of information and all of it interesting, especially given the impacts of invasive species!

[richarda]

I was working in the oilfield in Texas and Louisiana for the last fifty years on land and inland water ways. I have witnessed many different wildlife at all hours of the day. I have never seen a python in either state and have looked for years. I retired in 2017.

[brianpartlow]

Pythons can't handle the winter weather that most American states get. I doubt they'll do well outside of Florida. I hear that these pythons are becoming endangered in their home areas. Maybe they should catch the ones in Florida and send them home to repopulate their native areas.

[jrevan]

South Georgia boy here and every one i come accross will be buzzard food.

[hoptoit]

One important factor not mentioned….humidity. You may have countries/areas with similar temperatures however one might be dry climate and the other a humid climate

[tallcip]

2 years ago I saw a 10ft+ long python in the snake river in Idaho. It was early spring and the water temp was in the mid 40s. Obviously it was a pet that was released into the river but it seemed to be thriving.

[exileisland]

That map is crazy to suggest them coming all the way up into Kentucky. The winters are so rough they'd freeze.

[leecowell]

He's correct. The temps here in Florida can get really cold for being this far South. Fortunately they don't stay that way and its also always very dry (thus no ice except a light skim on already existing water.). yeah bad news for a python that can not handle really low temps like the American Alligator. Yep temps below freezing will kill a python in short order.

[NathanShepard]

Good video. I remember that map coming out in 2008 and it split most academic herpetologists in half. I was in the camp that did not believe it for a second. Only other thing I can offer is that in 2009/2010 they kept 10 burmese pythons in outdoor cages in SC to see how they survive. The cold snap killed all but 9, and one survivor only survived because they brought it indoors...it did develop at respiratory infection. That pretty much closed the book on this whole range expansion of burmese pythons.

[kalkuttadrop]

They share a similar climate range to the American Crocodile(which is currently mostly just in the Everglades and Keys, but historically pre-humans ranged up to the North Tampa Bay, and may have occasionally ventured further up in warm decades to the west florida coast, south Louisiana, Mobile area). So probably not much further north than Tampa realistically.

[Mulberrysmile]

I saw one in Cocoa, FL in 1999. This is inland from Cocoa Beach, a few miles south of Kennedy Space Center, due east of Orlando.
It crossed the road in front of me. It was so thick that I didn’t want to risk driving over it, so I saw the entire snake. It’s head was in the middle of a wide (the width of a lane of traffic) center median as it’s body was across two lanes, and it’s tail tip came into the 10 inch gutter.
They are farther spread than people think.