Burmese python
IN PHOTO: U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) (L) speaks to reporters as a previously caught live Burmese python is held by Wildlife Commissioner Ron Bergeron (R) before Nelson took part in a hunt for pythons during a state-sponsored snake hunt, near in the Everglades, Florida January 17, 2013. Python Challenge 2013 is a month-long event sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offering prizes of $1,500 for the most pythons captured and $1,000 for the longest python. Reuters/Joe Skipper

Burmese python invasion in Florida seems to be out of control, based on what the 14-year study on the Everglades National Park has revealed. The study, published by the US Geological Survey, or USGS, on Tuesday is by far the longest and largest study conducted on Burmese pythons, according to CBS News.

The study involved 19 pythons caught in the Everglades and were tracked for 5,119 days. Researchers used GPS monitors and radio tags to track the activities of the invasive species-to see where they go, stay, feed, mate and take shelter from harsh weather conditions.

The tracking study results show that pythons have reached out wider ranges in the Everglades with a recorded home range of nine square miles. These snakes also prefer to stay in marshes and coastal areas within the Everglades.

Kristen Hart, lead study author and research ecologist at USGS, believes the python invasion was driven by food and sex. She said that the findings would help control the python invasion, which is responsible for upsetting the ecosystem of the park.

Scientists believe that pythons were responsible for the decline in population of some of the native species. In addition, they said that the uncontrollable python population could pose a threat to the population of endangered species found in the Everglades, such as the Cape Sable seaside sparrows and wood storks, as reported in Miami Herald.

Biologists agree that the number of pythons is too high and eradication will prove to be difficult. According to the Miami Herald report, biologists say that there are no natural predators that would hunt down these snakes. In fact, alligators are of no use as they can also become prey.

Cold weather may be the pythons’ main threat since a total of 10 snakes that biologists were tracking were wiped out during a cold blast back in 2010, according to Hart.

To date, there is little success in cutting down the snake population, because as Hart said, the snakes are the colour of palm trees, mud, leaves and detritus. “And they’re quiet,” she said.

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