A new USGS podcast features FORT scientist and co-author Robert Reed discussing the results of a recent scientific paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing the apparent effects of Burmese python predation on mid-sized mammals in Everglades National Park. Nocturnal road surveys revealed that in areas of greatest python abundance, where they had been established the longest, declines in the numbers of marsh rabbits, bobcats, opossums, raccoons, and red foxes observed were substantial; however, these same species were more common in areas where pythons have been discovered only recently and were most abundant outside the python’s current introduced range. In the podcast, Dr. Reed, a co-author on the paper, discusses these findings and what the observed mammal declines mean for the Everglades ecosystem. Hear the
For more information contact: Bob Reed
The Big Squeeze: Pythons and Mammals in Everglades National Park
Find more news stories from:
[Florida]
Find more news stories about:
[Indian or Burmese Python]