I'm not much help for you but I do have some info links that are

pertinent , plus there are all of the videos that are out.



Pyron/Burbrink/Guiher Report

Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by

Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological

Niche Models

R. Alexander Pyron1,2*, Frank T. Burbrink2, Timothy J. Guiher1,2



usark.org/uploads/Pyron%20et%20al%202008%20-%20ecolog%20niche%20modeling%20contradicts%20python%20expansion%20claims.pdf





Same Info as above



R. Alexander Pyron1,2*, Frank T. Burbrink2, Timothy J. Guiher1,2



There is a study (done by City University of NY) which

contradicts the non-peer reviewed USGS opinion piece.

City University of New York (CUNY)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2490718/



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Questions Posed and Answered on the Issues of Pythons

in South Florida and in Captivity

David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker



vpi.com/sites/vpi.com/files/OnBurmese_Florida_compressed.pdf



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USARK's Archives containing many informational Documents



usark.org/archive.php





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Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 43(3):45-47, 2008

The Tympanum

Barkers



usark.org/uploads/Tympanum.pdf









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invasive species definition by law





Is the Burmese python an invasive species?

No. We have it on presidential authority that the Burmese

python in Florida is not an invasive species. They

can be correctly identified as an “exotic species,” or an

“established exotic,” a “non-native species,” or even an

“alien species.” They are not by legal definition an invasive

species.

Presidential Order 13112, signed into law by President

Bill Clinton on February 3, 1999, and titled Invasive

Species, provides the following definition [Section 1 (f)]:

“invasive species means an alien species whose introduction

does or is likely to cause economic or environmental

harm, or harm to human health.”









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Letter To Congress:



24 November 2009

U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary

The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security

2138 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Louie Gohmert:

We write in regard to the recent Congressional hearing on HR 2811. As scientists who have worked with reptiles including those cited in HR2811, we express our reservations regarding the document recently released by USGS as an “Open-Report”, titled Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor.

Simply put, this report is not a bona-fide “scientific” paper that has gone through external peer review. Part of this report is fact-driven, described by the authors as “traditional library scholarship.” By the authors’ admissions, there are surprisingly little data available regarding the natural history of these species. In their attempt to compile as much information as possible, the authors draw from a wide variety of references, ranging from articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals to far less authoritative hobbyist sources, including popular magazines, the internet, pet industry publications, and even various media sources. While such an approach is inclusive, it tends to include information that is unsubstantiated and, in some cases, contradicts sound existing data.

As scientists whose careers are focused around publishing in peer-reviewed journals and providing expert reviews of papers submitted to these journals, we feel it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document “scientific”. In fact, much of this report is based on an unproven risk assessment model that produces results that contradict the findings presented in a recently published scientific paper that used a more complex and superior model (see: Pyron R.A., F.T. Burbrink, and T.J. Guiher. 2008. Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models, PLoS One 3: e2931. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002931). Unfortunately, the authors of the USGS document limit their reference to this scientific work to an unsubstantiated criticism. To the contrary, this alternate model is validated by its relatively accurate prediction of the natural distribution of the species in question (something the USGS model does not even attempt). Furthermore, despite its conclusion of a limited potential distribution of Burmese pythons in the United States, the model presented by Pyron et al. accurately predicts the presence of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.

The USGS model likely provides a gross overestimate of potential habitat for these snake species. People throughout the United States keep pythons as pets, yet the only known breeding populations in the United States are in the Everglades. Such a wide distribution of potential sources of invasion, but only a localized invasive event, suggests that factors beyond those used in the USGS model are critical to limiting the suitability of habitat for pythons. The authors even state that climate is only one factor of several that affect the distribution of an animal, yet they develop a model that only uses overly simplistic climatic data (e.g., the climatic data did not take seasonality into consideration).

We are further concerned by the pervasive bias throughout this report. There is an obvious effort to emphasize the size, fecundity and dangers posed by each species; no chance is missed to speculate on negative scenarios. The report appears designed to promote the tenuous concept that invasive giant snakes are a national threat. However, throughout the report there is a preponderance of grammatical qualifiers that serve to weaken many, if not most, statements that are made.

We fully recognize the serious concerns associated with the presence of persistent python populations in southern Florida. As top predators, these animals can and will have a dramatic impact on the community of wildlife that lives in the Everglades. Inaccurately extending this threat to a much large geographic area is not only inappropriate, but likely takes needed focus away from the real problem in the Everglades.

In conclusion, as written, this document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices, it has not gone through external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern. We encourage the USFWS and USGS to submit this document to an independent body for proper and legitimate peer review. Additionally, we encourage the Committee to review this document, not as an authoritative scientific publication, but rather as a report currently drafted to support a predetermined policy.

Signed:

Elliott Jacobson, MS, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM

Professor of Zoological Medicine

University of Florida

Dale DeNardo, DVM, PhD

Associate Professor School of Life Sciences

Arizona State University

Paul M. Gibbons, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)

President-Elect, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians

Interim Regent, Reptiles & Amphibians, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners

Director, Exotic Species Specialty Service

Animal Emergency Center and Specialty Services

Chris Griffin, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)

President, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians

Owner and Medical Director

Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital

Brady Barr, PhD

Resident Herpetologist

National Geographic Society

Endangered Species Coalition of the Council of State Governments

Crocodilian Specialist Group

Warren Booth, PhD

Invasive Species Biologist

Research Associate

North Carolina State University

Director of Science

United States Association of Reptile Keepers

Ray E. Ashton, Jr.

President

Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute

Robert Herrington, PhD

Professor of Biology

Georgia Southwestern State University

Douglas L. Hotle

Curator of Herpetology/Conservation/Research

Natural Toxins Research Center

Texas A&M University

Francis L. Rose (Retired) , B.S., M.S. (Zoology), PhD (Zoology)

Professor Emeritus

Texas State University

Edward J. Wozniak DVM, PhD

Regional Veterinarian

Zoonosis Control Division

Texas Department of State Health Services

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Boas By Klevitz

Boas By Klevitz

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