Pythons coming to SRS

Coming soon, snakes on a plain. And on a hill and a pond and many other places. This is a controversial hypothesis being advanced that contends a rapidly-growing population of Burmese pythons introduced into the Florida Everglades could migrate as far north as Maryland.

A group, led by Davidson College associate professor of biology Michael E. Dorcas, Ph. D., will test the contention that pythons are capable of surviving in climates similar to their natural habitat, which includes much of the Southeast U.S. The study will be conducted in a snake-proof enclosure on the Savannah River Site.

"We don't want to introduce snakes into South Carolina," Dorcas said definitively of the study that is proposing to test the range-expansion hypothesis. "We want to know how well snakes can do in expansion."

The year-long study, to be filmed by National Geographic, will begin in late June. It will examine the ability of invasive Burmese pythons to survive in a semi-natural enclosure at a different temperature than the Everglades. The study will specifically monitor the survivorship, body condition, weight, behavior and thermal biology of the pythons in Aiken - approximately midway between the Everglades and Maryland.

"The hypothesis is very controversial. There are people very critical of it," Dorcas said. "That's why we're testing this. We're hoping to shed light on the validity of the hypothesis."

The study is occurring because Burmese pythons, kept as pets for decades, have been introduced into a new habitat. The snakes were either released or escaped into the Everglades.

The pythons, which can grow longer than 20 feet and live for 15-25 years, are native to Southeast Asia and are wreaking havoc in the foreign ecosystem. Their diet in the Everglades includes raccoons, bobcats, white-tailed deer, birds and even alligators. There is concern over what the python's diet would consist of if there were a mass migration north.

Several measures are being taken to help contain the pythons during the study and ensure they won't be released into South Carolina's ecosystem. In addition to the previously-constructed, snake-proof enclosure on the Savannah River Site that Dorcas described as "impressive," the seven pythons to be used in the study are all males. That eliminates any chance of reproduction in the unlikely circumstance of escape.

There is another safeguard in place to limit the likelihood of the python's joining Aiken's environment. Each snake will have surgery to plant radio transmitters in them. Should there be an escape, members of the study will be able to track the snakes down.

While in the enclosure, the snakes will be exposed to natural environmental conditions and will have various habitats - including aquatic and subterranean. The pythons will be fed rats or rabbits every two weeks and will be measured (length and body mass) every month.

Contact Noah Feit at nfeit@aikenstandard.com.

BREAKOUT

It will be difficult for the snakes to escape the enclosure that is surrounded by an 8-foot smooth-walled fence. The enclosure consists of a relatively large pond with extensive vegetation surrounded by terrestrial habitat with burrows extending approximately 1.2 meters below the surface.

The pythons will also be prevented from escaping by:

* An inward sloping ledge to the top of the fence.

* Removing trees that could provide access the exterior of the enclosure.

* Adding an electrified wire to the top of the fence.