MIAMI — For the first time, scientists have put numbers to the toll Burmese pythons have had on native wildlife in the Everglades. But one word can sum it up: carnage.
In the decade since the giant constrictors started showing up in significant numbers, mammals once among the most common in Everglades National Park have declined dramatically, according to a study published online Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
The study, based on night field surveys conducted over 10 years, found three animals had all but disappeared. Opossum sightings fell 98.9 percent. Raccoons — once so abundant park managers warned visitors to safeguard food from roaming groups of the wily thieves — dropped 99.3 percent. Marsh rabbits — brown bunnies frequently seen foraging along roads in the pre-python past — didn’t appear at all. Observations of bobcats, foxes and deer all also fell precipitously.
The study suggests a near-collapse of mammal populations in the park and points to the python as prime suspect. Many of the snakes started as pets that were set free by their owners when they got too big.
The Obama administration pointed to the findings as more justification for the decision this month to ban the import and interstate sale of Burmese pythons, two types of African rock pythons and yellow anacondas.
