Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivitattus) have been a focal species in the study of Everglades invaders over the last decade. However, the majority of research conducted on these animals is heavily influenced by human activities such as collecting, limited access to natural areas, and controlled water regimes. Previous studies focused on pythons caught on or near major roads, with limited sampling in wilderness areas. The L-28 interceptor canal area (the “Triangle”) located in the Miccosukee Indian Reservation provides a unique site for studying Burmese pythons in a rain-driven ecosystem with virtually no human activity and an large concentration of mammals (based on survey observation). Since December 2014, we have performed weekly surveys of the Triangle levee road (23.3km), collecting environmental information and mammal observation data. We attempt to remove all pythons encountered and outfit a subset with radio- and GPS-transmitters to gather movement and fine-scale habitat use information. The GPS tags have a remote download feature allowing for data collection in the field with little to no disturbance to the study animals.
Results/Conclusions
We performed surveys between December 2014 and February 2016, capturing 25 pythons over 54 survey events (14 days resulting in one or more python captures). The catch per unit effort for the surveys was 0.08 pythons/survey hour. We captured 15 (60%) of the snakes during the month of February. The average air temperature at the time of capture was 20.9 degrees Celsius (± 4.0 degrees). The unusually high water levels of winter 2015/2016 may have played a role in the large concentration of snakes and mammals sighted along the Triangle perimeter, the only habitat that remains consistently dry throughout the year. Five female and six male pythons (SVL = 262.5 to 373.7 cm) have been implanted with VHF and GPS transmitters and released back into the Triangle. Locational data collected thus far indicates that pythons do not remain within the Triangle study area but also utilize the adjacent habitats. This study site is located on tribal lands that have not been the focus of intense biological surveys; therefore a community-level assessment of pythons and their prey (i.e., mammals) is needed before comparative conclusions can be made regarding this python population and its effects on the local mammal population.