Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Fears of a new super snake emerging in the Everglades grew this week during a hunt to track South Florida's invasive python population.
A three-day, state-coordinated hunt that started Tuesday had, by Wednesday, discovered at least five African rock pythons -- including a 14-foot female -- in a targeted area in Miami-Dade County.
Those findings add to concerns that the rock python is a new breeding population in the Everglades and not just the result of a few overgrown pets released into the wild, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
State officials worry that rock pythons could breed with Burmese pythons, which already have established a foothold in the Everglades. That could lead to a new super snake, said George Horne, water district deputy executive director.
In Africa, the rock python eats everything from goats to crocodiles. The snakes have even killed children.
"They are bigger and meaner than the Burmese python. It's not good news," said Deborah Drum, district deputy director.
The state estimates that thousands of Burmese pythons have spread through the Everglades. Some are released exotic pets; others are thought to have escaped during hurricanes and bred new generations in the wild.
The string of unusually cold temperatures in south Florida flushed more of the snakes out of the wild and onto flood control levees.
Three of the rock pythons found this week were captured, and two got away. One had a circumference of 31 inches.
The African rock python typically has a nastier disposition than the Burmese python, said LeRoy Rodgers, a water district scientist.
"These are animals that are hot predators, and now there are two species to worry about," he said.
A three-day, state-coordinated hunt that started Tuesday had, by Wednesday, discovered at least five African rock pythons -- including a 14-foot female -- in a targeted area in Miami-Dade County.
Those findings add to concerns that the rock python is a new breeding population in the Everglades and not just the result of a few overgrown pets released into the wild, according to the South Florida Water Management District.
State officials worry that rock pythons could breed with Burmese pythons, which already have established a foothold in the Everglades. That could lead to a new super snake, said George Horne, water district deputy executive director.
In Africa, the rock python eats everything from goats to crocodiles. The snakes have even killed children.
"They are bigger and meaner than the Burmese python. It's not good news," said Deborah Drum, district deputy director.
The state estimates that thousands of Burmese pythons have spread through the Everglades. Some are released exotic pets; others are thought to have escaped during hurricanes and bred new generations in the wild.
The string of unusually cold temperatures in south Florida flushed more of the snakes out of the wild and onto flood control levees.
Three of the rock pythons found this week were captured, and two got away. One had a circumference of 31 inches.
The African rock python typically has a nastier disposition than the Burmese python, said LeRoy Rodgers, a water district scientist.
"These are animals that are hot predators, and now there are two species to worry about," he said.
