BURNESE PYTHONS TAKE OVER THE

EVERGLADEShttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfYAj1k9uZM

How did the pythons gets there?

• First released into the rugged wilds of the Everglades between 15 and 30 years ago

• Others come from pet owners who release the pythons when they get too big

What are they eating?• WHAT ARENT THEY EATING? They are eating

everything in sight!!

• ALLIGATORS• BIRDS• RACCOONS• OPOSSUMS• …even 80 pound deer!!

• The mammal population has dropped dramatically•Mammal- Warm blooded

animals that have back bones and have hair or fur.

• The killing of all of these animals is altering the ecosystem dramatically• Ecosystem- Includes interacting

organisms such as animals, plants and other organisms in a particular region.

What are they doing to help this?

• Efforts are underway to rescue the Everglades from the pythons. Government officials have already removed more than 1,000 Burmese pythons from the area, but that has barely made a difference.

• In January 2012, the U.S. Department of the Interior officially made it illegal for people to bring Burmese pythons — or other giant snakes like anacondas and some constrictors — into the country.

DEFINITIONS• Biology- study of living things. • Python- a large, heavy-bodied, nonpoisonous

snake• Ecosystem- A biological community of

interacting organisms and their physical environment.

• Mammal- Warm-blooded animals that have backbones and hair or fur.