 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
USGS warns of giant invasive snakes
Reston, Va. (UPI) Oct 13, 2009 U.S. Geological Survey scientists say five giant non-native snake species would pose high ecosystem risks if they become established in the United States. The USGS report is based on the biology and known natural history of non-native boa, anaconda and python species that are invasive or potentially invasive in the United States. Two of the species are documented as reproducing in the wild in South Florida, with population estimates for Burmese pythons in the tens of thousands. The five most potentially dangerous species were identified by the USGS as Burmese pythons, both northern and southern African pythons, boa constrictors and yellow anacondas. "This report clearly reveals that these giant snakes threaten to destabilize some of our most precious ecosystems and parks, primarily through predation on vulnerable native species," said herpetologist Robert Reed, a coauthor of the report. The report notes there are no control tools yet that seem adequate for eradicating an established population of giant snakes once they have spread over a large area. "We have a cautionary tale with the American island of Guam and the brown tree snake," said Reed. "Within 40 years of its arrival, this invasive snake has decimated the island's native wildlife -- 10 of Guam's 12 native forest birds, one of its two bat species and about half of its native lizards are gone." The 300-page USGS report is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1202/pdf/OF09-1202.pdf. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com
Uganda ends big game hunting banKampala (AFP) Oct 13, 2009 Uganda is lifting a decades-old ban on big game hunting to boost tourism revenue and contain herds of crop-crunching elephants, buffalos and zebras, the wildlife service said Tuesday. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) spokesperson Lillian Nsubuga said a deal had been agreed authorising a private company to sell sport hunting licenses in some areas of the east African country. "We have ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook