2 kinds of python are breeding in the Everglades, and it might help them become a 'super snake'
- A study in the journal Ecology and Evolution found that super snakes could emerge in the Florida Everglades.
- US Geological Survey researchers examined tail tissue in 400 snakes captured in south Florida and found some had markers of both Burmese and Indian pythons.
- The interbreeding may have resulted in "hybrid vigor," a genetic term that means the offspring takes the best traits from both species.
- Burmese pythons are swamp-dwelling reptiles, while Indian pythons usually prefer high, dry ground, which means the hybrid snakes could spread to new habitats.
Published August 28, 2018
Join the discussion — please keep to our Community Guidelines.