Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Using all the same old misinformation...
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-edge-pythonmap,0,200514.htmlpage

Plus, a scary warning about them taking over!
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-edge-pythonchart,0,3188785.htmlpage

So 99,000 people let their snakes go?

I mean what species of python(s) are they referring to with that range indicated in red. I am not 0 sure on it all as I am more of a varanid keeper myself and prefer boas to pythons when it comes to snakes. That said I seem to recall that none of the Python molorus subspecies occur on the island of Borneo which is listed in the range. That would be the range of Python reticulatus (sorry I can't remember what the bogus new genus name is.) and Python curtus. I am unsure as to whether or not P. molorus occurs on the malay peninsula or on the Island of sumatra for certain but I do know P. reticlatus occurs there which leads to my second question on the range map. If the are including P. reticulatus in the range why are the Philippines not indicated? Last I knew the Philippinrs were part of the range of P. reticlatus. Of course the other flaw with the map thing is the correlation between the python range in S.E. Asia and the Southeast U.S.. Without referencing back to the maps I an going to assume that the are basing the correlation of the original range and there potential to spread here on the relation between the 2 areas according to latitude lines. That is completely ridiculous considering latitude has only a partial influence on climatic zones. Anyone involved in horticulture could tell you that based on the U.S.D.A. planting zones which are pretty accurate (more or less). Without getting any more lenghty in my post one excellent example I can give of the disparity between climate zone and lattitude. I currently live just north of Orlando fl. usa. As a kid I grew up west of Corpus Christi Tx. USA (between Alice and Orange Grove.) both areas are considered zone 9. I did look it up once and I did technically live further south in Texas than I do now in Florida. The climate here in Florida is not as hot in the summer and with the exception of last week Typically not as cold (and cold for much shorter periods of time) than where I lived in Tx. These subtle differences in climate make a huge impact on the difference in what you can grow in the 2 regions. I can grow many more tropical and sub-tropical species of plants here in Fl. than I could in a place technically further south on the other side of the Gulf of Mexico. If you cannot grow the same type of flora in the two regions logic should dictate that fauna that can establish itself in one area would not necessarily do so in the other. In fact I seem to remember that the climate in brownsville was roughly similar to the inland areas north of Orlando so anyone thinking a python that can barely make it in the everglades could establish itself even in the extreme southern tip of Texas much lees the whole state or worse yet the bottom third of the U.S. is thinking very clearly.

They play upon the general publics' lack of knowledge and understanding of Ophidians.
Where tall tales, superstition, folklore, wives tales, legend, rumor, and overall ignorance trump fact...where most people fear and kill snakes on sight, shoving that garbage out, wrapped in some pseudo-authoritarian/scientific veneer is par for the course.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

They will never make it in Santa Cruz because while they are big, they are not big slackers. Seriously, though, they are going to cross the Southern Great Divide? Ha!

Cottonmouths can't go any further north than the Great Dismal Swamp, either. I still think people must believe that pythons can read road signs to head north and west. And why aren't boas found in L.A.? You're dealing with sheer stupidity of the average person in these cases. As the late George Carlin once said..."If you think the average person is stupid, remember that P of the population is dumber than that".