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These reticulated pythons and Burmese pythons are indeed invasive, but I will write about it in the articles dedicated to these snakes, and here we are talking about all pythons in general Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
Apokryltaros (talk | contribs) →Distribution and habitat: split off as a subsection |
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Pythons are found in [[sub-Saharan Africa]], [[Nepal]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Southeast Asia]], southeastern [[Pakistan]], southern [[China]], the [[Philippines]] and [[Australia]].<ref name="McD99"/>
===Invasive populations===
Two known populations of invasive pythons exist in the Western Hemisphere. In the United States, an introduced population of [[Burmese python]]s (''Python bivittatus'') has existed as an [[invasive species]] in [[Everglades National Park]] since the late 1990s. As of January 2023, estimates place the Floridian Burmese python population at around half a million. Local bounties are awarded and scientists study dead Burmese pythons to better understand breeding cycles and trends associated with rapid population explosion. The pythons readily prey on native North American fauna in Florida, including (but not limited to) [[American alligator]]s, birds, [[bobcat]]s, [[American bullfrog]]s, [[Virginia opossum|opossum]]s, [[raccoon]]s, [[North American river otter|river otter]]s, [[white-tailed deer]], and occasionally domestic pets and livestock. They are also known to prey on other invasive and introduced animals to Florida, such as the [[green iguana]] and [[nutria]] (coypu), though not at a rate as to lower their numbers rapidly or effectively.<ref name="NGeo">{{cite web | url = http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0603_040603_invasivespecies.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040611213130/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/06/0603_040603_invasivespecies.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = June 11, 2004 | title = Huge, Freed Pet Pythons Invade Florida Everglades | work = National Geographic News | access-date = 16 September 2007 }}</ref>
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