American Alligator
The American Alligator is the largest reptile in North America. It can grow 16 feet or longer, and the female will usually grow up to nine feet. Male alligators may weigh up to 1000lbs and females can weigh up to 160lbs. American alligators can be found in the southeastern part of the United States such as North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Alligators are carnivores and usually survive on a diet of fish, birds, turtles, snakes, mammals and amphibians. Although they may appear to be slow and clumsy, an alligator can move with lightning speed when a meal is close at hand. Alligators perform a mating ritual that lasts for days. After the ritual has been completed, the male alligator leaves the female, taking no part in preparing for or raising its young. In late June, the female lays 20 to 60 eggs. Hatchlings are six to eight inches (15 to 20 centimeters) long with yellow and black stripes. Juveniles are on the menu for dozens of predators, including birds, raccoons, bobcats, and even other alligators.
Burmese Python
Burmese Pythons are native to Southeast Asia and are the third largest snake in the world, reaching lengths of over 25 feet and weighing up to 400 pounds. Pythons are powerful constrictors that prey on small mammals.
Burmese pythons are native to India, lower China, the Malay Peninsula, and some islands of the East Indies but have become an invasive species in the everglades and other parts of south Florida. Burmese pythons are disrupting the natural ecosystem here as they devour a broad number of native species, including alligators up to 5ft in length. The conditions are perfect for the large snake to reproduce, and they can lay up to 80 eggs at a time. Report Burmese pythons to the FWC immediately! If you think you see a Burmese python, take a photo, note your location and report your sighting by calling the Exotic Species Hotline at 888-Ive-Got1 (888-483-4681), using the free IveGot1 mobile app or online at IveGot1.org.
They most likely first occurred in Florida as escaped pets. As a result, Burmese pythons cannot be kept as pets in Florida. Released pets remain a primary source of introduced species in the state. Through the Exotic Pet Amnesty Program, pet owners who are either unable to care for their nonnative pets or who no longer wish to keep them can surrender them with no questions asked and without penalties, regardless of whether those pets are kept legally or illegally. The program helps reduce the number of nonnative species being released into the wild by pet owners and fosters responsible pet ownership.
