Giant Alien Snakes Invade U.S.!
by Rebecca Quimby (Subscribe to Rebecca Quimby's posts)
Oct 23rd 2009 11:00AM
Categories: Exotics, Reptiles
National Park Service
Giant Alien Snakes: It's not the title of a creepy new horror movie. According to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), nine species of giant snakes alien to North America could become established in the wild and wreak havoc on the ecosystem. National Geographic reports that these snakes can grow longer than 20 feet and weigh over 200 pounds. The slithering giants would be capable of surviving in the wild, and since they breed quickly and lack native predators, they could quickly cause trouble in U.S. ecosystems.
Some of these snakes have already infiltrated Florida, and the Burmese python could potentially spread to the entire lower third of the U.S. While some of the snakes in question have been known to kill people, the real risk is to ecosystems, which have no defense against the alien invaders.
So where did these snakes come from? Most of them were once pets that escaped or that people released into the wild. "If you want to be good to Mother Nature, do not under any circumstances let [your snake] go," study co-author and USGS zoologist Gordon Rodda told National Geographic. "You'd be better off euthanizing it than releasing it."
The real message here seems to be: Don't adopt a pet you can't care for. And if you must get rid of your pet, deal with it in a responsible way!
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