Pythons choking life in Everglades
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS January 30, 2012 9:14PM
Pythons’ hearts balloon in size as they digest food, leading scientists to study them for clues about human heart health. | AP Photo
Updated: March 1, 2012 9:52AM
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A burgeoning population of huge pythons — many of them pets that were turned loose by their owners when they got too big — appears to be wiping out large numbers of raccoons, opossums, bobcats and other mammals in the Everglades, a study says.
The study found that sightings of medium-size mammals are down dramatically — as much as 99 percent, in some cases — in areas where pythons and other large, non-native constrictor snakes are known to be lurking.
Scientists fear the pythons could disrupt the food chain and upset the Everglades’ environmental balance. AP
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