consider a person as suitable prey. Mature individuals of the largest species—Burmese, reticulated, and northern and southern African pythons—have been documented as attacking and killing people in the wild in their native range, though such unprovoked attacks appear to be quite rare, the report authors wrote. The snake most associated with unprovoked human fatalities in the wild is the reticulated python. The situation with human risk is similar to that experienced with alligators: attacks in the wild are improbable but possible." (More on this matter in a snake quiz I put together earlier this year.)

More significant, really, is that the report's coauthor Robert Reed had to say: "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." 

You may be thinking: "I don't see the problem. I don't live in South Florida and that's all going to be underwater anyway, what with sea level rising. So problem solved."

Nope. Earlier this year there was another study comparing how climate change will make more parts of the US more like the native ranges of these snakes, possibly extending the threats to California and New Jersey. Yikes. Get the USGS press release and the full new report here. 

Image Credit: Lori Oberhofer, National Park Service