How Far North Will Florida's Pythons Spread? | Invasive Biogeography 

We're human beings! If we can't render a species extinct, we're not trying!

From my years of experience, working with Burmese pythons I’m confident they can’t live in North Florida

It's important to note, invasive species adapt to move into new environments that are completely different to their native home ranges. We have experienced that with the cane toad here in Australia, it has evolved longer legs in the norther west enabling it to penetrate landscapes that remained barriers in their home habitats. Southern cane toad populations have evolved thermo regulation genes that enable it to survive Australia's southern cold temperate climates that are 20-30Deg C lower than their native climates.

I did my senior thesis in college on this exact topic several years ago. This video almost feels like you read my notes from my defense giving this presentation. The biggest takeaway from my research was what you briefly touched on with their dormancy behaviors. In almost every case I could find, they continued to bask as temperatures approached freezing, to the point that many would develop moderate to severe respiratory infections in temperatures around 30F-45F, even if they did survive a short cold spell. These respiratory infections were often fatal even when treated (cannot remember the source, but I believe it was a smaller institute conducting research near Jacksonville, FL). Gopher tortoise burrows, like you explained, would be one of their only refuges if they were to make it to the panhandle due to how deep they go, and those are becoming scarcer by the year. If they were to make it into the limestone caves that you start to see in the Appalachian Mountain Range, they would have a chance in the foothills of the southern range, providing better dormancy behaviors were selected for. I concluded they would likely not expand much farther than the ranges of the American crocodile without further selective pressures, and at most make it as far north as mangrove forests in the relatively near future with a bit of luck on their side. Props to the video! Really took me back and many of these studies were not around when I did mine. Super cool to see more about it six years later.

I live just south of Miami, Florida, on the edge of the Everglades, and have something like thirty years experience with reptiles, including both Burmese pythons and Indian rock pythons. This video should be shown in Biology classes everywhere. Truly the most informative and factually accurate breakdown on the subject I’ve seen yet.

Excellent video. I'm from the reptile community here in Florida and people forget about the whole reptile warehouse destroyed on S Florida during Hurricane Andrew. I believe it was Andrew. But the facility was destroyed and it slung invasive species in every direction. In South Florida we have African Rock Burmese and Retic populations thriving here. Great video. Good information. Makes total sense. Good stuff. I just subscribed. Thank you for making this video brother

It should be noted that the pythons haven't adapted to more northern climates in Asia despite having had millennia to evolve there. They might not do it in the US either.

I'm a former snake keeper living in north western South Carolina and can say from personal experience I find it highly unlikely a Burmese would survive the cold winters here. It's often single digit or low teens for weeks on end.

I was working in the oilfield in Texas and Louisiana for the last fifty years on land and inland water ways. I have witnessed many different wildlife at all hours of the day. I have never seen a python in either state and have looked for years. I retired in 2017.

Also, aggessive legal action against the idiots who import, release and own the invasive snakes would be awesome.

In the late 70's and early 80's, one couldn't go to a party anywhere without someone showing up with a pet python, named Monty. That's where Florida's pythons came from.

I saw one in Cocoa, FL in 1999. This is inland from Cocoa Beach, a few miles south of Kennedy Space Center, due east of Orlando. It crossed the road in front of me. It was so thick that I didn’t want to risk driving over it, so I saw the entire snake. It’s head was in the middle of a wide (the width of a lane of traffic) center median as it’s body was across two lanes, and it’s tail tip came into the 10 inch gutter. They are farther spread than people think.

That map is crazy to suggest them coming all the way up into Kentucky. The winters are so rough they'd freeze.

Good video. I remember that map coming out in 2008 and it split most academic herpetologists in half. I was in the camp that did not believe it for a second. Only other thing I can offer is that in 2009/2010 they kept 10 burmese pythons in outdoor cages in SC to see how they survive. The cold snap killed all but 9, and one survivor only survived because they brought it indoors...it did develop at respiratory infection. That pretty much closed the book on this whole range expansion of burmese pythons.

2 years ago I saw a 10ft+ long python in the snake river in Idaho. It was early spring and the water temp was in the mid 40s. Obviously it was a pet that was released into the river but it seemed to be thriving.

One important factor not mentioned….humidity. You may have countries/areas with similar temperatures however one might be dry climate and the other a humid climate

Great video. Full of information and all of it interesting, especially given the impacts of invasive species!

Pythons can't handle the winter weather that most American states get. I doubt they'll do well outside of Florida. I hear that these pythons are becoming endangered in their home areas. Maybe they should catch the ones in Florida and send them home to repopulate their native areas.

He's correct. The temps here in Florida can get really cold for being this far South. Fortunately they don't stay that way and its also always very dry (thus no ice except a light skim on already existing water.). yeah bad news for a python that can not handle really low temps like the American Alligator. Yep temps below freezing will kill a python in short order.

My Dad talked about this over 20 years ago. He said it was gonna be a problem. They have green iguanas running all over down there now too because pets got loose.

They share a similar climate range to the American Crocodile(which is currently mostly just in the Everglades and Keys, but historically pre-humans ranged up to the North Tampa Bay, and may have occasionally ventured further up in warm decades to the west florida coast, south Louisiana, Mobile area). So probably not much further north than Tampa realistically.

As always, a great video! This channel really deserves way more attention than it gets at the moment. I do hope that it will become more popular in time

Did they put bounty on the snakes.

Outstanding use of compare and contrast. Nice pace. Well done.

The map at 1:00 is the most fear mongering I’ve ever seen. Burmese pythons can’t even survive in north Florida because it gets so cold, so they aren’t spreading anywhere.

Nice overview. Your scholarly research, engaging illustrations, and even delivery made for an enjoyable and informative video.

Wonderful video. 💫 You've got a great narrator voice.

Back in the mid-'90s someone released at least 3 large anacondas in California's western San Joaquin Valley. All 3 that were found had gotten stuck in valves in the irrigation canals and drowned. The largest was about 8 foot. They were found in late fall to early winter. If they'd been released in the spring into the sloughs along the river there is a good chance they may have proliferated.

I was surprised to see my area in Virginia on the map of how far north they might go. I can't see it happening though with the 4' deep snowstorms we can get. 23' long snake, yikes, that is scary. A 6' long black snake in the yard freaks me out.

Anything will learn to adapt or it just wont live. Got a new subscriber. Was fun and informative to watch. Great video

Pythons won't swim up the Mississippi, but Bull Sharks will

We had a similar phenomenon happen with emus near my dads house. At the start of the emu crash of the earlier 2000s several farmers near my dad in southern Mississippi released hundreds if not thousands of emus during hurricane season to try and get insurance money. So the emus lived in the woods for years. Actually started to multiply. Dad would see them on his early morning bike rides on red dirt roads. Then a couple of really hard winters came and he stopped seeing them, just their footprints. Then another hard winter and he hasn't seen them in over a decade.

Great video. Do one on feral hogs. Some say they will spread west across Arizona, but I think the limiting factor will be the lack of water.

I live in Eastern NC, Alligators are here in a few locations but rare for the most part. I hope we dont have to add the rare Burmese Python to that list, in addition to the coyote and wild boar that are moving in.

There is a correlation between growth zones for plants and suitable habitat for pythons . This is shifting , spreading north as the planet grows warmer . Follow the updated data for growth zones and you’ll get a good idea of the possibilities.

South Georgia boy here and every one i come accross will be buzzard food.

the suitability range for them is south florida. the species was let loose in 1992. they have spread east and west but not north. the very tip of florida is tropical. we have snakes here that dont travel to anywhere north.

Something always missing in these discussions on Florida pythons is the example of Cuba. The island of Cuba has only two forms of larger carnivorous predators. The first is various forms of crocodilians - and the other is the Cuban Boa.

I’m in Massachusetts,and I don’t think cold blooded tropical animals will move up any farther than the Carolinas. We get too much snow and it gets very cold. They won’t survive

Thank you for this video. I would like to add some of my own thinking to this conversation. In my predicting, anywhere a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird can find flowers, so can a Nine-Banded Armadillo because of its insectivorous diet amongst those flowers, is anywhere an American Alligator can swim because warmer artificial spillways exist in key niche environments, is anywhere a Burmese Python could find human infrastructure to overwinter within. A Ruby-Throated Hummingbird can barely overwinter in Washington D.C., is about as high a Nine-Banded Armadillo, an American Alligator, and a Burmese Python can survive in Eastern North America. If the Burmese Python ever crosses Texas into California, then Vancouver B.C. isn't out of the question, wherever their Hummingbirds can endure winter in Western North America. The continent of South America has the same relation, their Hummingbirds and their Reptiles, across all altitudes and biomes. As you've stated in the video, a genetic percentage of these established feral snakes are a hybrid of Burmese x Indian Python, because these reptiles are of pet-trade stock, not wild origins. As such, the genetic reproductive success of these color morph specimens hinged upon cooler indoor temperatures absent of sunlight as the warming mechanism, whereas industrial operations use temperature-controlled air rather than basking lamps. As such, any dark space with a consistent temperature, such as a storm drain or crawlspace or storage barn, can allow for a reduced metabolism overwintering, comparable to the cooling cycles of tote breeding systems. Color morphs are the bigger factor here however, because some hybridization and inbreeding was required to produce them, and some of those species and specimens are by-far more tolerant of unusual temperature swings and alternative habitat environments. My biggest concern is hybridization with wild native or other introduced species, because anywhere a Burmese Python could find a place to overwinter, becomes itself the reptile a large enough body of warmth to form a hibernaculum, as North American species are multi-species tolerant to share such spaces as a survival truce, ergo further warming the Burmese Python. If a Burmese Python should find a burrow, thus becomes a better hibernaculum by nature of its more temperature stable bulk. At spring the hibernaculum is sprung, and breeding begins, that if a wild snake should find the right chemical signatures of a pet-trade hybrid or inbred morph Burmese Python, a new species isn't completely out of the question? Genetically speaking, this very unique population of Burmese Python are not genetically stable, they are designed with a "mix & match" aptitude in controlled industrial settings.

I was speaking to a Florida Wildlife Officer from Florida back in 2013, He wasn't convinced that this Python invasion was just accidental escapes during a hurricane or abandon pets. He thought some of these were Eco Terror.

Of my casual viewing about these pythons, it doesn't look good to me how barren of other wildlife the areas get.

I am cross breeding Lion Fish with Ospreys and equipping them with "lasers". After an intensive training period, they shall be released to combat pythons.

Serious work to make this video happen! Nice work!

We've had Alligators in NE Oklahoma for the 72 years that I've been alive. My Dad found some when he drained a leaking pond. In Claremore.

*With the heat, they will travel a bit further but when they reach colder climates, this will kill them. As a reptile keeper including owning two pythons still today in addition to assisting in the python removal project coming across some very large ones and large boas also. I think many people should either lose their fear of these and or if not learn to kill these by shooting these directly in the very center of their head . I am normally against killing of these animals but they to pose a danger to our pets and livestock and periodically may be a threat to a small child who may not know any better approaching them* . *Most snakes including these are all defensive animals and not offensive, they rather flee for the most part from humans and not attack a human unless they feel threatened . The very few attacks on children mainly toddlers and babies all have been verified that the children had been playing with family pets such as cats and dogs prior that day. These animals do not know the difference do to the smell of a family pet being transfered to a child so therefore they think it's a normal food source when this occurs. Another thing to have in case of a bite is either a small bottle of hard liquor or bottle of Listerine on the person whom may be hunting these. In case of a bite, simply grab the bottle or have your partner grab the bottle open it and pour it on the snakes gums as it causes instant pain for they pythons all while someone controls the head and if possible the body from wrapping during the bite the python gives. It causes then severe burning pain to instantly let go as mentioned but does not have long term damage. But of course you could shoot it in the head or catch it turning it over to your states fish and wildlife office. Just word for thoughts with working with every large constrictors there is from Burmese pythons, Indian rock pythons, reticulated pythons green anaconda and even type of boa constrictors from both the bci and bcc families of boas. I have been bit from babies pythons up to 16 solid foot pythons and 14 solid foot boa constrictors such as the water boas ( green anacondas ) and bci and bcc boa family's. The hard liquor and or Listerine will work on all sizes it does not matter and works on all species of reptiles both non venomous and venomous alike* .

It takes 1 person to let their Python loose outside, and here we are. Overpopulation of them. Gross

They can spread right to the tip of my rifle, where, they will be stopped

Before to long we will be talking about the Nile crocodile which were stupidly allowed to be imported to florida and have since escaped during a hurricane.

Wow one of the most interesting and informative videos I’ve ever watched. Very good content.

I'm familiar with Southern, AZ, NM, and TX. All three regions have experienced uncommon cold snaps. However, outside of the high desert regions of the aforementioned regions, winters are relatively dry and warm the majority daylight hours. Thes regions are aslo home to indigenous constrictors, venomous snakes that utilize hemotoxins, as well as serpents that utilize hemo and neurotoxins.

Great video and analysis! I figured that the Himalayas and other high mountain rages had an effect in making subtropical climates more mild, allowing animals that would otherwise be purely tropical species to be able to live farther north than expected!

as a floridian, the python problem has destroyed so much of our ecosystem but the efforts to irradiate has been working well. The hunting program has led to the native fauna returning. one example is the cottontail rabbit. However the problem is so big i’m not sure it will be 100% but it’s too cold beyond florida for them

That depends on how thinly you spread each one out. There more force you apply to the rolling pin the more they will spread.

A neighbor here in central Illinois reported seeing an armadillo just a couple months ago, near Pana, IL. They're spreading faster and further than you might expect.

Why these snakes were ever allowed in this country and sold in pet stores especially in hurricane states is beyond stupid.

Tourist often ask me what winter weather is like in Savannah. I say it’s overall mild but chaotic at the same time. Your daily high could be anywhere between 35*F and 85*F. While the moderate temps dominate in November through February anything in that range can occur.

Every person who bought one in a pet store and it got too big to keep and contain, all of you who thought let’s turn my pet loose in the Everglades are responsible for them reproducing and killing the native wildlife of the Everglades. Same type of people who bought the Lionfish for their aquariums and released those in the ocean to kill the native fish are responsible for that mess too. I personally don’t agree with the gators being a protected species, they certainly aren’t endangered, it’s the other animals and dogs and cats that are endangered by being eaten by the alligators.

Pythons will never make it past the Frost line . If they could they would’ve already spread further .

It’s snowed trice in my life time in St Pete Fl and in 2009-10 it got into the low teens. People had to watch out for iguanas falling from trees . I doubt they make that far north anytime soon

Wildlife experts don’t let you on federal lands to eradicate and actually keep cameras on the dangerous animals and their nests. Which have up to 80 eggs. They would kill them if they cared about the rest of the wildlife.

Alagators here in south florida are learning and they are fighting back the snakes. There are videos that have surfaced recently of gators attacking the snakes now

I've released dozens of pythons into the wild and it's good to see they're doing well

I can recall twenty something years ago people at the business I was employed at would have conversations about pythons that were purchased and then released which I would then enter the conversation and ask why not take them back to the store ? Which then they would reply by stating that there was no time . I would think that you had plenty of time to purchase at the store so why not do the same . Of course I was frowned at and told to mind my own .

You can't compare the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere because the jet stream in the Canadian Northern Hemisphere currently has been unusually pushing farther south for the last fifty years setting record cold temperatures in the United States.

That picture of the alligator snout sticking out of the frozen water was crazy 😮

As someone born and raised in Florida I can assure you that alligators eat more pythons than pythons eat alligators.

I’m in Wildwood. I know their headed here. 😅 Southwest Florida Conservation just caught a massive 215 lb python .

As always, both interesting and informative. And though I know you probably didn't take the photo yourself, the shot at 12:19 was itself worth watching the video for. What an unexpected image.

They just removed a 10' gator in NE Oklahoma and there has been unconfirmed sightings of more.

Here in NYC, we have an existing population of Anoles, which are native to Florida (as far as I know)....they thrive here, hide under house siding during winters....they've found a way to get through cold winters.....I think pythons can possibly find a way to survive here, though we may not see them as sizable as they get in warmer climates.

I live and hunt in the epicenter of where pythons live in south Florida. Seeing how they already struggle in the winters even here I doubt they are going much further north than highway 60. Great video by the way.

Property renters and owners, start investing in rock salt . I bought 4 bags (100 pound bags) at a feed store. I put it everywhere. I have heard, snakes can't handle salt because of their tounge.

It seems the python lacking the instinct to burrow might be our saving grace here. I live in Louisiana and we've seen winter temps hit 5 degrees F before which is absolutely nuts for the deep south but we obviously have more than our share of snake species that manage to tough it out underground. You have to keep an eye out even in the winter months because we'll have random warm days where the snakes come back out and lay in the sun although they are very sluggish and not quick to bite, I've stepped on several while hunting in the winter because I wasn't thinking about snakes. But with the crazy weather in the south anything can happen. I was squirrel hunting in January one time and heard a crunch and looked down and I had stepped on a garter snake that was frozen solid in ice. I guess he was laying in the sun basking when the temps suddenly dropped and he ended up frozen

You have big time interesting topics that I've never heard covered elsewhere. Three videos are excellent educational tools reminiscent of traditional educational videos, very comfy indeed.

We found an alligator in a canal up here in Pennsylvania before. But it was found to be someone's pet that they just released. It would've died in the winter to which was pretty screwed up. But it didn't stop people from claiming alligators were here in PA. 😂

I live in Arkansas. We have seen python s in little rock in the city park areas. My friend sat down on a park bench, looked into the tree above her and saw one in the tree. She abandoned the park bench.

They can only go west. Any other direction means salt water or cold. Eventually this may change as they become more resistant to cold temperatures.

Very informative; delivered in a calm, pleasant manner! I wonder if python is a "clean" meat? (serious question) Could be a valuable source of feed for dogs, etc. (other more useful critters..) as the things get HUGE!

Never underestimate nature's ability to adapt, oppossums were unheard of in Maine 40 years ago. Same was said too cold. They're here,now. Also don't forget the human factor. Human structures and infrastructure often provide very suitable places for a wide variety of species to winter over or find shelter when needed. Even snakes like water moccasins and eastern diamondbacks extend farther north than most people realize. Although I think you may be correct in short to mid time projections. Long run I have no doubt they could adapt to go that far north. If they needed to. Great Video

Hey man great video. If you want to continue to see success on RU-vid, I would suggest making your videos between 10-15 mins long.

gopher tortoise burrows can stay pretty warm during the winter. they even shelter many animals during wildfires. I think it being airy won't be much of an issue if most of the hole gets plugged up by a snake or tortoise that blocks a good bit of the draft to the rest of the hole and that's probably all you need to get a surviving reptile. What I'd like to see is if storm drains could be used in lieu of burrows, like maybe they learn that a clogged drain can help them out so they either seek then out or clog them up as much as they can. probably a little colder than a burrow, but it beats wind chill and snow. Then the next issue is invasive burrowers. armadillos burrow, as do sulcata tortoises. Even if their burrows only house the smaller pythons, that's still something. abandoned vehicles and other man-made structures could contribute burrows for larger snakes.

In Louisiana we used poisoned chickens to kill off alligators when we would find them anywhere near our cabin. We had it to where you could go for weeks without ever seeing an alligator. We sold the place and it has been effectively abandoned for 15 years. Now the place is again absolutely crawling with alligators.

Great content, subscribed! It will be fascinating to see if invasives are more or less capable of dealing with climate weirding than native species. Another interesting variable touched upon are the hybrids. If the instinct to seek shelter under ground or water is heritable, i.e. alligators, then a cold hardy, invasive, python wave could be approaching the areas on that map. Can we make responsibly sourced python leather cool again, please?!?

In 2011 I believe Florida declared open season for Pythons

Great. They're moving north. Where's my shotgun?

That survey of how pythons coped with the cold snap - I'm picturing an interviewer with a note block and a pencil asking a python a bunch of questions. Am science. Very double blind RCT. :) But seriously, I just recently found your channel and it's so nice and interesting. I really, really appreciate the matter of fact delivery and that you supply us with interesting bits of knowledge that is just complex enough to make us feel like we are learning new things. And we are! I am, at least.

Make a video on Wildhogs destroying property and ranches and fields

I believe the python population has a whole will adapt through natural selection to the point of populating most south eastern states eventually.Very informative video. It will be interesting to see just how far north they make it. I wonder how far north they are currently found

Everyone is talking about whether the python can adapt to the cooler climate but what really worries me is the likelihood they will develop wings and are able to eventually fly.

Best snakes are dead ones

I’m having a hard time figuring out how these pythons would last in the arid, bone-dry and piping hot Sonoran desert of southern Arizona

This was crisp. Just found your channel. Keep this up.

Good information. Using average temperature to predict the range of a Burmese Python is one of the most ridiculous conclusions I can think of. Duh-- average temp is an average and does not represent the coldest tolerable temps of the year. Thanks for the videos

Don't forget that species adapt to their environment. I live in Newark, NJ, near a major swamp, several rivers and parks with small lakes. I am looking forward to having my grandchildren learn to avoid ponds and streams to avoid alligators

I have been involved in python hunting and removal on the island of Key Largo where our subsoil temperature probably runs at least 80 degrees these days. We have found that these snakes love to be underground, and they do not need much in the way of animal burrows to get there. Man-made disturbances to the soil are absolutely everywhere, riddling the ground with sufficient passageways. The pythons also don't need to come to the surface to warm up and digest prey they have swallowed at times when even our native black racers do prefer to bask. The fact that these snakes are so prolific, moreso than in their native ranges means that genetically linked adaptive characteristics will be mixed and matched until variants appear that will have all the fitness characteristics they need to spread North, IMO.

This is a very informative video. Do these pythons bite a victim first, put the sqweeze on it then, injest it? I sure do not like snakes, but they are beautifully marked. Thanks for this video.

I mean, we have 4 foot long snakes and 2 foot long snapping turtles in Chicago and it gets down to -25F. I guess it depends how adaptable they are.

Being from middle Tennessee I'm glad to hear that.

I would think where ever iguanas can adapt the pythons will too. So if ecosystems are too cold for the large lizard, it would also be uninhabitable for the large snakes!