Rock Python Kills Full Grown Husky in Fla; notes on snake prey, human predation

[findi]

Hi All,
At least 45 species of non-native reptiles and amphibians have established breeding populations in Florida. The most notorious of these, the Burmese Python, Python bivittatus, has been much in the news in recent years. Recently, however, another of the state’s introduced giant constrictors grabbed the headlines. [FONT=&quot]On Sept. 10, 2013, a Northern African Rock Python, P. sebae, killed a 60 pound husky in a suburban yard near the Everglades. While much has been made of the threats posed by large constrictors, what interested me most about this incident was the fact that the snake involved was quite small by Rock Python standards. Despite being only 10 foot long and 38 pounds in weight, the snake was able to overcome and kill a 60 pound dog.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Based on my experiences with large constrictors in the Bronx Zoo and the wild, I would guess that the attack was defensive in nature. The only 60 pound snake meal I’ve witnessed (a White-tailed Deer) involved a 17 foot long, 215 pound Green Anaconda…and its huge body appeared stretched to its limit. [/FONT]Read the rest of this article here Rock Python Kills Full-Grown Husky in Florida
Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with: That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

Best Regards, Frank Indiviglio

 

[Boysmom]

Wow what an excellent Bio, My 11 year old son has a goal of being a marine biologist and he truly enjoyed reading your Bio. He found it interesting that you took every opportunity to learn about animals, as he does the same. He even volunteered at the sea turtle hospital in Charleston, SC this summer for a weekend. He probably wore them out with his constant questions, but he asks the most mature Q's because he truly wants to know it all. He also volunteered at the Audubon zoo and insectorium in New Orleans while we lived there for 4 and a half months while he filmed a movie.

Your Bio is a good example to young people who are interested in a career in the animal kingdom.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Holy smokes!!! Quite sad and disturbing at the same time.

 

[MikeyTN]

Not my husky babies! Anything that try to do that to my babies won't get very far....so not a fan of snakes...interesting read none the less, thanks Frank!

 

[weco]

Those of us who are enthralled with outside aviaries & live in slithering reptile areas really need to give thought to the fact that their cute little feathered friends just might be a tasty snack for one of these slitherers & not necessarily a constrictor.....

I have a story, from another bird forum, to use in our parrot story project about a member's son killing a brown snake (deadly Australian slitherer) on the floor of their outdoor aviary.....in that same thread, there is another story (w/pics) about the member's boyfriend having trouble w/pythons invading his attic looking for possums nesting in his attic.....one of the pics shows a python climbing the home's outside brick wall, heading for the soffit attic vent and another pic of a python falling through a ceiling heat/air vent into the living area.....

While both of those snake stories are from OZ, any of us who live in areas where snakes, of any kind, are your neighbors, need to consider them in your bird proofing scheme of things.....oh, the pic of the python crawling up the house's brick exterior appears to be about 10-12 feet long.....the pic shows it stretching from the ground to the soffit vent.....

 

[Kalidasa]

If they became a faddish food item they'd be wiped out quick. I love fried rattlesnake, and gator. They should start up fried python shacks all over the coast. Yum!

 

[MikeyTN]

If they became a faddish food item they'd be wiped out quick. I love fried rattlesnake, and gator. They should start up fried python shacks all over the coast. Yum!

That sounds yucky to me...lol

 

[weco]

You should try it.....tastes like chicken.....

 

[MikeyTN]

I'll stick to the traditional chicken! I've tried snake meat before, not for me....the flavor is too strong for me to tolerate. Perhaps I may try it one day. I vomit easy so I'm careful to what I try....lol

 

[weco]

If you soak the meat in milk overnight, then drain, dry, then prepare as you normally do your chicken for frying, you might find it a bit milder & more to your liking.....many species of game meats can be soaked in milk and/or brine water.....

 

[ShellyBorg]

Snakes make chili! They tried to get people to eat nutria with little success, may be they can sell giant snake to the masses.

 

[MikeyTN]

Yes the game meats are more strong in flavor but I don't mind deer steak, a family friend used to go hunt and bring us deer meat when I was younger. I don't even like fish that much, the only time I would eat fish is IF it is fresh, so usually I go fish doing fresh catch. I clean them myself and we do a fish fry. Or some high end restaurant that knows how to prepare fish. One time I had fish at some restaurant, took one bite and spit it out and won't touch it again.

 

[findi]

Wow what an excellent Bio, My 11 year old son has a goal of being a marine biologist and he truly enjoyed reading your Bio. He found it interesting that you took every opportunity to learn about animals, as he does the same. He even volunteered at the sea turtle hospital in Charleston, SC this summer for a weekend. He probably wore them out with his constant questions, but he asks the most mature Q's because he truly wants to know it all. He also volunteered at the Audubon zoo and insectorium in New Orleans while we lived there for 4 and a half months while he filmed a movie.

Your Bio is a good example to young people who are interested in a career in the animal kingdom.

Hello,

Sorry for the delay and thanks for the kind words. Sounds like he is making an excellent start...ahead of where I was at his age. Please feel free to send along any career related or other questions. Please post here: http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatr...-prepare-for-a-career-in-herpetology-part-2/; I get instant notices and can get back to you right away, best, Frank

 

[cateyes221981]

an adult rock python can kill any dog


however in the wild they have a lot of predators this is why they are horrible pets, in africa many many animals will attack adult rock pythons including honey badgers (snake specialist killers) hyenas, wild pigs in gangs, groups of vultures, and the worst predators of them all the leopard and the nile crocs.

Leopards are not that large but they easily dispatch the biggest pythons because of their speed and brain.

Even the small female leopards are amazing giant python killers

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5LCd5w-fMY]Leopard kills Huge African Rock Python. - YouTube[/ame]


HOWEVER faster smarter breeds of dogs like german shepherd mixes are used to kill boas in south america to protect chickens in many places. The smart dogs know how to kill a large snake without getting killed. It is skill learned. Just like these dogs learn to take down men with guns.

 

[cateyes221981]

Just looking at some youtube videos i had no idea people in south america were so abusive to animals ? not that people here aren't. but wow.

 

[cateyes221981]

the puma lives there but it lacks the leopards snake killing brain. It has the same ability. Maybe the puma will evolve like the gator did and start killing them the way the leopard does. But for now they ignore them. THey dont know what a giant snake is so they avoid. They can kill one if they know how to deal with them. They can kill a horse, racehorse, arab. But they need the knowledge on how to do it.

The gator picked up on killng them quick

Rock pythons, burmese, retic, anaconda, all these people could not stop, they need a serious apex snake predator. One thing i thought of is the king cobra which feeds on nothing but snakes and eats them daily. It eats pythons and anything that gets in its way. Other snakes that will kill them before the giants turn into giants? Its just not working out. Everything is going to be gone but the gators and pumas. THey can start putting in some giant gators from local farms or something, more crocs. I don't know but they better find a way to cull the population.

ALL the giant snakes plus all the large monitor lizards in one place is going to ruin florida. I wonder if jaguars were native to that area at all once? that is a very very good option for controlling large snakes they are even better at killing them than leopards as seen here.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H56LCjM4tgA"]Male Jaguar vs Green Anaconda - HD - YouTube[/ame]

Also more otters would help they kill monitor lizards and large snakes by ganging up on them using their agility and brains. Just anything that can help people out and work around the clock. Once the snake population is small king snakes OR mussies can be added somethign that eats small snakes which will take care of the babies at least. So these babies dont get this large.

The gator on his own is not enough to stop them. Needs another serious powerful apex predator. I think the jaguar is native to a lot of parts of NA just not sure about florida. Maybe more deer also introduction. The jaguars wil ltake their toll on feral pigs. But feral pigs do love snakes.

 

[mrgoogls]

i feel bad for all of these snakes and pets/native wild animals. people dont know hwot to take care of their pets so they release them and things like this happen. then some poop dogs dies, a snake probably gets kills for doing something natural(hunting or defending itself) and people that like to keep reptiles get hurt because of all the laws they are making now. if only people could be responsible.

yes, i know not all non native animals that are now in the US are from being pets. things like hurricanes happen and wipe out a house or breeding facility with the animals and they escape, etc. but still, the release of pets is what is causing all of the bad publicity for these reptile laws.

 

[cateyes221981]

they can sell snake skin clothing for fashion and the meat wont be eaten by people the meat has to go to wildlife rescue places where native wildlife people struggle for meat already.

A large python can feed many native animals like coons, foxes, possumes, vultures, hawks, eagles all kinds of animals. Better to use the meat to feed the native animals in rehab they need it.

There are also 100s of birds who specialize in snakes or prefer to eat snakes and can be fed snakes. Its not easy getting them.

Any snake eating snake in a zoo like any species of cobra or mussie they all need snakes to be healthy, the everglades pythons and boas could really feed a lot. Throwing them out would be a waste. Specially florida is full of places.

Just throw it in a swamp for a gator or leave it in your yard for a bobcat, eagle or possum/skunk.

 

[cateyes221981]

mrgoogles laws need to be made in my city its illegal to own a snake that gets longer than 8 feet. They are not pets they are wild animals, for zoo, or public exhibit. Like a lion or a gator.

But now they are taking over florida. Not the dog is the issue its what they are doing to the birds also. ALl those amazing birds of the everglades. They never evolved with giant snakes.

They can handle rat snakes, they can handle indigo snakes, they know how to usually evade the big gators but they never learned how to deal with the monitor lizards and giant snakes. Mostly the birds that i am concerned about.

Also is there flamingos in the everglades? I hope not.


we already have billion dogs and cats out there that is not a concern its the other wildlife.

 

[ShellyBorg]

You know if the state would put a bounty on the snakes a lot of hunters would start looking.