The feral snakes in Florida seem to be faring well in the cold...(see the photo below)
Iguanas falling from the sky.
Pythons slithering from the swamps and into suburban yards in search of warmth.
It would make a great horror movie if it weren't true life. It's been so frigid in South Florida this week that 250 sea turtles in cold shock have already been picked up in Broward County, and two freezing manatees were rescued in Stuart on Thursday, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife officials. As if avoiding boaters weren't enough, manatees get cold stress syndrome in water temps under 68 degrees, so they're heading in droves for the warmer waters near power plants -- like the one near the Florida Power and Light plant in Riviera Beach.
Nobody's shedding any tears over iguanas losing their grip and plummeting from trees, though. The cold snap is providing the easiest disposal method yet.
Burmese pythons in the keys and elsewhere are taking up residence in neighborhood yards and garages, or sunbathing in other open areas they don't normally frequent. The pythons are usually nocturnal hunters and don't get around much during the day -- but there's some evidence that colder temperatures are driving the reptiles south, where they haven't had a significant presence so far.
Florida Fish and Wildlife released a reminder this week to licensed hunters that it's still legal to hunt the pythons and other nuisance reptiles -- the fact that the cold blooded snakes have slowed down significantly should make picking them off a lot easier.
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/juice/2010/01/manatees_pythons_cold_weather_florida.php
What I want to know is:
A-when did the pythons arrive in the Keys? and
B-How much farther south does the author think they are going to go? Cuba? Are the snakes going to build a raft?
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Snakes:
1.1 gray banded kingsnake
1.1 california kingsnake
1.1 kenyan sand boa
1.1 western hognose snake
0.1 albino checkered garter
1.0 florida blue garter
1.1 het anery red sided garter
1.1 reverse oketee corn snake
1.1 blood red corn snake
0.1 amel striped corn
1.0 amel 66% het striped corn
1.1 het albino ball python
1.1 het ghost ball python
0.1 spider ball python
1.0 pastel ball python
1.1 mojave ball python
1.0 butter ball python
0.1 ringer ball python
1.0 African dinker ball python
0.3 normal ball python
1.0 piebald ball python
0.1 het piebald ball python
0.1 Genetic Stripe Ball Python
1.0 Het Genetic Stripe Ball Python
0.1 Mystic Ball Python
Turtles
1-eastern box turtle
2-spotted turtle
2-eastern/midland painted turtle intergrade
1.0-common musk turtle
1-Pink bellied sideneck
6-Northern red belly
Invertebrates
0.1 southern black widow
1-Tanzanian Giant Tailless whipscorpion
Amphibians
0.1 Ornate Horned Frog
Birds:
1.1 red avadavit
2-blue breasted cordon blue
1.1-black cheeked waxbill
0.1-star finch
1.0-Java rice sparrow
2.0-owl finch
1.0-hybrid munia
0.1-White bellied caique
Fish
2-corydoras cats
1-African upside down cat
normal stuff
0.1 black lab
