What caused the Burmese python infestation in the Everglades?

What caused the Burmese python infestation in the Everglades?

• A. Hurricane Andrew
• B. Climate change
• C. A shipwreck
• D. A warm winter

Answer: (A)

Disaster-related pet releases can seed invasive populations. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, many Burmese pythons’ enclosures were destroyed and owners released or abandoned them. The warm, wet Everglades habitat then provided ideal conditions for these snakes to survive, reproduce, and establish a large population. This initial introduction is what set the stage for the ongoing infestation, which is more about how the snakes got into the wild than about factors that affect their survival once there. While climate factors can influence spread and reproduction, they don’t explain the original entry event, and shipwrecks aren’t the documented cause in this situation.

Disaster-related pet releases can seed invasive populations. After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, many Burmese pythons’ enclosures were destroyed and owners released or abandoned them. The warm, wet Everglades habitat then provided ideal conditions for these snakes to survive, reproduce, and establish a large population. This initial introduction is what set the stage for the ongoing infestation, which is more about how the snakes got into the wild than about factors that affect their survival once there. While climate factors can influence spread and reproduction, they don’t explain the original entry event, and shipwrecks aren’t the documented cause in this situation.