| Re: Wednesday Chat 04.11.12 |
Subject: Re: Wednesday Chat 04.11.12 by TommyT-Bone on 2012/4/11 12:40:09 Good morning. It's a pretty day. Cool and clear with blue skies and spotty clouds. It gets a little toasty mid day but all I do is think of the upcoming summer season then it doesn't feel as hot. The humdtitary has been fairly decent too. I was reading an article in the local paper on the python issue. Although I read it before this time it struck me. Apparently most of the small and midsized wildlife in the southern end of the glades (my area) are gone. Raccoons foxes,oppossums,rabbits and bobcats have answered the call of the dinner bell for these slithery reptiles. There have reports of pythons eating deer and alligator. My neighbor, a park biologist and supervisor is in charge of the snake tracking program as well as a number of other bio-related duties. He recently did a necropsy on a python and found a partially digested adult deer. This was a really big snake by the way. Their numbers are not known. They have been in the glades reproducing since the mid seventies. My understanding is this all started with the release of about 14 snakes in the wild by the snakes owner. In Florida it is unlawful to release non native animals in the wild. There is an African rat population growing in the Keys. They are combating them to keep them off the mainland. Iguanas all over, peacocks, lionfish, and tropical fish dropped into the local lakes and canals that are all chasing away or eating native fish. Then there are parrot populations all the result of intentional and unintentional realease into the environment. Don't forget the local natives. Crocs and alligators. Alligators were once protected. There are millions now. Crocs went from several hundred to several thousand. If the pythons would just eat about a million and a half alligators, then they might be serving a useful purpose. I like South Florida or I wouldn't be here. The biodiversity is great. Don't know why I went off on an animal populations seminar this morning but I'm sure I could be bs'ing about other benign topics. Have a great day gurus. Take a look around you today and take a minute to smell the roses, tulips or lilies today. Or in BillH's case .... the horseshit.  |
