It's surprising there aren't special guns or shot being developed for shooting them.
The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
81–90 of 95 posts
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#82Just switch to Ruby.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect
I don't understand the downvotes to the GP, he is clearly referring in jest to this.
Thanks for noticing. I'm sorry that you got downvoted for it.
My comment was a test, I wanted to see how it played out. Even with such common knowledge topic, I see that there is not enough "tone" in my comment for people to be able to read its intention.
This is a similar case to Poe's law.
Next time I will try with ";)". I guess that it will clarify the intent of the comment.
So, no fault in the people that did not notice. Next time I will do better.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're an predatory invasive species that's been clogging up dam gates and killing native predators like alligators. The goal, if it were even possible without causing more harm, would be eradication from that ecosystem.
Why is there value in keeping the ecosystem in a state we're familiar with? It's not like alligators were "always there" either. Animals migrate, things change, and us ensuring that the animal populations always match what they were in 1995 is hubris.
Alligators evolved during the Late Cretaceous (100M-65M years ago) and populated the waterways of the south-eastern US around that time. Pythons were introduced to that ecosystem roughly 30 years ago.
noahA does a pretty good job of explaining why the current thinking is that invasive species are a very bad thing but I agree it's a form of hubris to think we can control these things when humans seem to want to follow a whole other set of behaviors. Still, I think it's a good idea to try to motivate good stewardship.
Here's an incomplete list of other invasive species in the Everglades: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_invasive_species_in_th...
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is there value in keeping the ecosystem in a state we're familiar with? It's not like alligators were "always there" either. Animals migrate, things change, and us ensuring that the animal populations always match what they were in 1995 is hubris.
I agree with the direction of your idea but I don’t think it applies here. Invasive species are a major cause of loss of biodiversity. Typically, habitats change over a much larger timescale. If you introduce a species that’s suited for a habitat and it has no natural predators, you’re going to end up losing a lot of biodiversity as a result. Why is biodiversity important? Biodiversity gives us new opportunities for…
If you apply this same logic to humans, don’t you wind up with a xenophobic perspective? This seems like an alt-right manifesto but applied to animals not humans.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#86There is a simple natural permanent solution for this problem, just introduce an Apex predator - the majestic Jaguar. Jaguars used to inhabit the southern parts of North America - they seldom attack humans but they will happily eat snakes and alligators. They could restore health to the ecosystem, also make it more interesting, thus also benefiting the tourist industry.
The ultimate apex predator is already there.
Man.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#87Does anyone have links to more companies selling these animals' skins? Has anyone bought any of these and can share a review? Any other recent updates to what's going on in this market? https://pythonwildman.com/ http://web.archive.org/web/20180830211800/https://floridapyt... --- Unfortunately, it looks like their carcasses are toxic. So food cycling them won't work. https://www.outsideonline.com/1794941/florida-offi…
Also, I'd like to support stellar Everglades python hunters, on Patreon etc, and it looks like there are several.. I need to go through this later: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=everglades+hunt...
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
most snakes are small and harmless. it’s not any worse than seeing a rat or a lizard. in the US the main snake everyone gets warned about is the coral snake, which has a distinctive pattern and is very poisonous.
Copperheads are bad, especially since many other species look like them. They can put you in the hospital. Avoid the triangle head.
A triangular head is a poor indicator of a venomous snake. Many nonvenomous snakes can flatten their heads into a somewhat triangular shape.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
Copperheads are bad, especially since many other species look like them. They can put you in the hospital. Avoid the triangle head.
The danger of copperheads is greatly overstated. Yes, they are venomous and will bite, but they are very rarely fatal to humans.
True. A copperhead bite definitely requires a hospital visit, but as pit vipers go a copperhead bite is generally on the less dangerous side.
Re: The men fighting Florida’s python epidemic
#90To you that live in parts of the world that have snakes, do they affect you in any way? There are no snakes where I live, and I'm extremely uncomfortable just thinking about the possibility of one entering your home or seeing one. Imagine cleaning your garage and finding a snake curled up behind some stuff, the state of terror I would be in is out of this world.
Snakes are quite common where I live (southwestern USA), and I see more rattlesnakes here than nonvenomous snakes. They will bite if you threaten them, but they absolutely will not bother you if you don't bother them first. That said, they are mainly a problem for people's dogs since dogs instinctively try to attack snakes, and in the case of a rattlesnake bite that results in a very expensive visit to a veterinarian. So I relocate rattlesnakes out into less populated places when my neighbors call me after finding one in their yard.