South American pythons threaten an island

Many scientists call on the Puerto government to act urgently to prevent the expansion of tropical American pythons on the island.

Tropical American pythons, originally from Central America and South America, in Puerto Rico have become a concern for scientists, because their numbers in the wild are growing rapidly, Livescience reported. .

'Once exotic snakes adapt to environmental conditions in a large area, especially dense forests, people will not be able to find and destroy them,' said Bob Reed, a scientist. learn from the US Geological Survey, speak.

The body length of tropical American pythons can be up to 10m, and their maximum body weight is up to 34kg. They have no enemies in the wild environment of Puerto Rico. They are descendants of pythons in the state of Florida, USA - where python reproduction has also become a serious problem.

The results of genetic analysis show that tropical American pythons on the island of Puerto Rico are related. Thus, it is possible that a small group of pythons have accidentally escaped into the wild environment when humans transported them, then they mate with each other and give birth to descendants.

Most pythons that people have found in Puerto Rico in the past are illegal pets or strayed from people's homes. In Mayaguez, a town in western Puerto Rico, police found 150 pythons. In addition, pythons "hide" from the houses in the north of the island are related to the children in the town of Mayaguez. The situation shows that pythons have moved quite far. With such mobility, tropical American pythons can expand everywhere in Puerto Rico and destroy the island's ecosystem in a relatively short time.