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The '''Burmese python''' ('''''Python bivittatus''''') is one of the [[List of largest snakes|largest species]] of [[snake]]s. It is native to a large area of [[Southeast Asia]] and is listed as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name="IUCN"/> Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the [[Indian python]], but is now recognized as a distinct [[species]].<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Jacobs, H.J. |author2=Auliya, M. |author3=Böhme, W. |year=2009 |title=On the taxonomy of the Burmese Python, ''Python molurus bivittatus'' KUHL, 1820, specifically on the Sulawesi population |journal=Sauria |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=5–11}}</ref> It is an [[Burmese pythons in Florida|invasive species in Florida]] as a result of the [[pet trade]].<ref name="
==Description==
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[[Image:NAS Static US SF FLGVWDMZ014485631722126.png|thumb|United States range in 2007]]
[[Image:Burmese_python_%286887388927%29.jpg|thumb|A captured Burmese python in the Florida Everglades]]
Python invasion has been particularly extensive, notably across [[South Florida]], where a large number of pythons can now be found in the Florida [[Everglades]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Top 10 Invasive Species |date=2010 |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1958657_1958656_1958659,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206203125/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1958657_1958656_1958659,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 6, 2010 |access-date=27 April 2010}}</ref>{{r|invspinfo}} Between 1996 and 2006, the Burmese python gained popularity in the pet trade, with more than 90,000 snakes imported into the U.S.<ref name="
By 2007, the Burmese python was found in northern Florida and in the coastal areas of the [[Florida Panhandle]]. The importation of Burmese pythons was banned in the United States in January 2012 by the [[U.S. Department of the Interior]].<ref name="U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2012">{{cite press release |title=Salazar Announces Ban on Importation and Interstate Transportation of Four Giant Snakes that Threaten Everglades |url=https://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Announces-Ban-on-Importation-and-Interstate-Transportation-of-Four-Giant-Snakes-that-Threaten-Everglades |website=doi.gov |access-date=April 26, 2022 |date=2012}}</ref> A 2012 report stated, "in areas where the snakes are well established, foxes, and rabbits have disappeared. Sightings of [[raccoon]]s are down by 99.3%, [[opossum]]s by 98.9%, and [[white-tailed deer]] by 94.1%."<ref name="Adams">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pythons-are-squeezing-the-life-out-of-the-everglades-scientists-warn-6297653.html |___location=London |work=The Independent |author=Adams, G. |date=2012 |title=Pythons are squeezing the life out of the Everglades, scientists warn}}</ref> Road surveys between 2003 and 2011 indicated an 87.3% decrease in bobcat populations, and in some areas rabbits have not been detected at all.<ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Dorcas ME, Willson JD, Reed RN, Snow RW, Rochford MR, Miller MA, Meshaka WE, Andreadis PT, Mazzotti FJ, Romagosa CM, Hart KM |date=2012 |title=Severe mammal declines coincide with proliferation of invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=7|pages=2418–2422 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1115226109 |pmc=3289325 |pmid=22308381 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2012PNAS..109.2418D}}</ref> Experimental efforts to reintroduce rabbit populations to areas where rabbits have been eliminated have mostly failed "due to high (77% of mortalities) rates of predation by pythons."<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Willson, J. |date=2017|title=Indirect effects of invasive Burmese pythons on ecosystems in southern Florida |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology|volume=54|issue=4|pages=1251–1258 |doi=10.1111/1365-2664.12844|doi-access=free|bibcode=2017JApEc..54.1251W}}</ref> Bird and [[coyote]] populations may be threatened, as well as the already-rare [[Florida panther]].<ref name="Adams" /> In addition to this correlational relationship, the pythons have also been experimentally shown to decrease marsh rabbit populations, further suggesting they are responsible for many of the recorded mammal declines. They may also outcompete native predators for food.<ref name="
For example, Burmese pythons also compete with the native [[American alligator]], and numerous instances of alligators and pythons attacking—and in some cases, preying on—each other have been reported and recorded.
By 2011, researchers identified up to 25 species of birds from nine avian orders in the digestive tract remains of 85 Burmese pythons found in Everglades National Park.<ref name="
Numerous efforts have been made to eliminate the Burmese python population in the last decade.{{when|reason=the phrase "in the last decade" is meaningless without reference to a specific date or range of dates|date=February 2020}} Understanding the preferred habitat of the species is needed to narrow down the python hunt. Burmese pythons have been found to select broad-leafed and low-flooded habitats. Broad-leafed habitats comprise cypress, overstory, and coniferous forest. Though aquatic marsh environments would be a great source for prey, the pythons seem to prioritize environments allowing for morphological and behavioral camouflage to be protected from predators.{{clarify|date=October 2020}} Also, the Burmese pythons in Florida have been found to prefer elevated habitats, since this provides the optimal conditions for nesting. In addition to elevated habitats, edge habitats are common places where Burmese pythons are found for thermoregulation, nesting, and hunting purposes.<ref name="
One of the Burmese python eradication movements with the biggest influence was the 2013 [[Florida Python Challenge]]. This was a month-long contest wherein a total of 68 pythons were removed. The contest offered incentives such as prizes for longest and greatest number of captured pythons. The purpose of the challenge was to raise awareness about the invasive species, increase participation from the public and agency cooperation, and to remove as many pythons as possible from the Florida Everglades.<ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Mazzotti FJ, Rochford M, Vinci J, Jeffery BM, Eckles JK, Dove C, Sommers KP |date=2016 |title=Implications of the 2013 Python Challenge® for Ecology and Management of ''Python molorus bivittatus'' (Burmese python) in Florida |journal=Southeastern Naturalist |volume=15 |issue=sp8 |pages=63–74|jstor=26454670|doi=10.1656/058.015.sp807|s2cid=90352897}}</ref> The challenge has run a few times again since then and is now an annual event over the duration of ten days.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Florida Python Challenge - Python Challenge |url=https://flpythonchallenge.org/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Florida Python Challenge |language=en}}</ref> Recently, in 2023, it resulted in 209 pythons removed by 1,050 participants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ICYMI: Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez Announces Winners of the 2023 Florida Python Challenge® |url=https://myfwc.com/news/all-news/python-challenge/ |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission}}</ref>
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==Diet==
[[File:Burmese Python photographed at Bardiya National Park1.jpg|thumb|Burmese python photographed in Bardiya National Park, Nepal]]
Like all snakes, the Burmese python is [[Carnivore|carnivorous]]. Its diet consists primarily of birds and mammals, but also includes amphibians and reptiles. It is a sit-and-wait predator, meaning it spends most of its time staying relatively still, waiting for prey to approach, then striking rapidly.<ref name="
===Digestion===
The digestive response of Burmese pythons to such large prey has made them a model species for digestive physiology. Its sit-and-wait hunting style is characterized by long fasting periods in between meals, with Burmese pythons typically feeding every month or two, but sometimes fasting for as long as 18 months.<ref name="
The energy cost is highest in the first few days after eating when these regenerative processes are most active, meaning Burmese pythons rely on existing food energy storage to digest a new meal.<ref name="
==Conservation==
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