In the newspaper this morning, I saw a very interesting article about invasive species. I know that invasive species were last semester, but the Florida Everglades is being over-run with a super creepy invasive species....the Burmese Python.
Want to see some more?
For the past month, snake hunters have flocked to the southern state of Florida in order to hunt the elusive Burmese python. No this isn't a reality televsion stunt although it sounds like one. On this past Saturday, Florida wildlife officials announced the winners of the 2016 Python Challenge. The contest removed a total of 106 Burmese pythons from the Florida Everglades. Bill Booth lead the winning team earning a $5,000 grand prize for killing the most Burmese Pythons by removing 33 total snakes. Additionally, his team had the longest snake that was killed. At over 15 feet long and nearly 125 pounds, the giant snake earned Booth's team an additional $3,000 in prize money.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/winners-florida-s-python-challenge-capture-snake-15-feet-125-n527226
Above are two links about the contest. If you Google "Burmese Python Challenge" and click on "in the news," there are a plethora of other resources. In a scholarly paragraph, summarize what you learned. Will you take the python challenge? What would you do with the snake skin? A purse? A belt? A handbag? What about the meat? Where does all that excess snake go? 106 snakes....what do they do with 106 dead snakes?
I would not take on the challenge, I really do not want to be bitten by a snake. Even if its not poisonous. I was thinking about what to do with the skin and then i realized that a skin tight suit made out of snake skin would be a good idea. I would definitely eat the meat with 100 dead snakes you could use each snake like a piece of rope and you could weave some weird blanket made out of snakes.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I would never eat such exotic meat!
DeleteI think the Burmese Python is not poisonous, but since it is so big, it can strangle you to death
DeleteI chose to write about the Burmese python challenge because I remember a show called swamp wars where they would basically be the “snake police”. The python challenge is a good way to remove pythons from the ecosystem. I, however, don’t think I would be gutsy enough to embark on the challenge. With the snake skin, I would probably want to make a phone case, or a bunch of littler things. I don’t really like meat, but my family would be excited to try it. I’m not sure much snake is left over, but what is is probably thrown away or burned.
ReplyDeleteI used to watch a show like that too, and I think a snakeskin case would be cool.
DeleteI also think its a good way to get rid of the snake population in that area, especially since there is money on the line and people love competition.
Deletei also don't feel that i would be able to go a hunt snakes, also i don't think i would want to try snake but i think some of my family members might try it.
DeleteI agree that this is a good way to reduce the population of the pythons. But I think trying the meat would be interesting.
DeleteI watched the first video about the Burmese Python challenge. This challenge gets rid of the invasive species of the Burmese Pythons. I was very surprised that I had not heard of this challenge even though the video said that they hosted a very successful one in 2013. I would not do this challenge because I know these snakes are very dangerous and can strangle you. I was wondering what they do with the rest of the dead snakes. I was also wondering if any people we against this challenge because of how they kill the snakes. They probably make the dead snakes into shoes and purses, but I would not buy those because of how the snakes had to die to make it.
ReplyDeleteI agree about not buying the snake skin products. It seems very morbid.
DeleteI agree, and don't think i'd be able to embark on such a risky challenge. I would even be leery to go anywhere near those areas because of how easily the snakes seem to blend to the landscape. It's strange that we don't hear about big events like this around the country.
DeleteI was also wondering if many people were against this challenge because of how they kill the snakes. Do you think there would be a better/more efficient/non-fatal way to rid the area of the snakes?
DeleteWhen I first heard of this challenge I was very repulsed that people were freely killing these snakes. However, when I learned the snakes are an invasive species and lose a threat to other wildlife the challenge seemed more humane. I believe there are many other ways to help with the abundance of snakes than to just kill them and say it's for sport. I would not take part in the challenge and I am against any animal skin or products used for accessories or fashion. I don't eat much meat so I would give it away to a charity or soup kitchen that would serve it correctly. I have no idea how much snake would be left nor do I care to find out but I assume there are many other uses or they just decompose.
ReplyDeleteI agree that killing the snakes isn't all that humane,but they are a problem in the everglades so they must be removed,one way or another.
DeleteThe python challenge is where people go out and they hunt for python's. They are doing this because these pythons are invasive species and they hurting the ecosystem in the everglades. Some snakeskin things are cool and I would want, but some are not that cool. I think this challenge is cool and will help control these python’s. I would not take part in this but I do think it is cool. I think the meat should be donated to homeless shelters for them to have some food unless the meat is bad.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge sounds like a lot of fun why wouldn't you want to take part in it?
DeleteIt doesn't matter if the meat tastes good or not, homeless people will take what is given to them. Regardless of taste it will give them the protein and fat that they need to survive.
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ReplyDeleteAs I watched both videos about the Python challenge, I learned that it was created for the purpose of capturing the invasive Burmese Python snakes in Florida. Apparently, it was not a recently made challenge as it began in 2013, and because it had success, they brought it back. I think it’s somewhat good to take control upon the population of the snakes as it can be rather troublesome for the area; however, I would not participate since I am not willing to take the risk. Despite me not participating, I find myself quite interested with the event as it reminds me of my grandfather. My mother once told me about how my grandfather would kill snakes(even poisonous ones!) in Mexico to sell. She told me that the snake’s skin would be used to made purses, belts, and boots while the meat would be eaten by people. I guess this answers what they do with snakes after being captured. I’m not fond of these types of clothing so I’ll stick with regular clothing.
While a huge snake may not be my favorite thing to encounter, I would take the challenge, because I am not necessarily afraid of snake and there is a lot of money potentially at hand. I think its crazy how many Pythons have populated the area. Up to 100,000 Pythons have invaded the Everglades since 2002. If I were to go and hunt all those snakes I would want to use the meat and the skin, since the snakes are so big, it would give us a lot of resources for making materials out of skin and eating the meat.
ReplyDeleteI don't like snakes either, and in my 7th grade class my teacher had a snake in her class room. I was terrified of it.
DeleteI dont think I would ever take the python challenge because i am deathly afraid of snakes. If I wasn't deathly afraid I believe that this would be a great cause considering that these pythons are an invasive species. I myself would have no use for the snake skin and I would probably sell it.
ReplyDeleteTry to go a little more in depth.
DeleteEven though i like the idea of taking on a challenge, I don't think that I would be able to do one that involved snakes. Even though i think the idea of hunting snakes is crazy, I do think that it is a creative way to solve a problem. since there isn't a real predator to get rid of the pythons the only way to get rid of them is by humans so they python challenge allows for there to be a decline in their numbers and also allow people an opportunity to join in on something crazy but fun. If I were to have extra snake skin i would bromley make purse. The meet form the snack wouldn't be something that i would want to eat so i would through it out with the other extra parts of snake.
ReplyDeleteI have a fear of snakes and I would definitely NOT take this challenge. Although the challenge was created to catch the invasive burmese python in Florida I wouldn't risk it. These species however does need to be in check and captured. Up to 100,000 pythons have invaded the Everglades since 2002. I have been to the Everglades( I got to see the Gator Boys do a show ) and I actually didn't see a python but our tour guide did talk about that. This is a growing problem and I think the challenge is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThe python challenge is when hunters go out and they hunt for snakes called pythons.The reason for this challenge is because it helps get rid of an invasive species not native to the everglades. I would love to own something made from snakeskins looks shoes.This challenge is good because it is something while helping to get rid of a problem.I would definitely take part in this challenge because it seems like a lot of fun.I think the snakes could be fashion accessories and also for meat because there is a lot of people who like snake meat.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you stated. It does kind of seem fun.
DeleteThe Python challenge is... interesting. Personally I would not hunt the snakes, because it would be a waste of time and a pain. It would be nearly impossible for a moron like me to find any of the well camouflaged snakes. Not only that, but is the money really worth risking being bitten? Although the money would be nice, being bitten by huge snakes isn't on my bucket list. There are advantages of getting rid of the snakes, but there must be better ways. I guess other people may want to do the challenge, but that is there choice. The python challenge is not for me.
ReplyDeleteI chose to do my response on the Python Challenge. The python challenge is about people in the everglades hunting for as many of these snakes as possible in order to win money. This challenge exists because pythons are an invasive species and they are hurting the ecosystem in the everglades. I think it’s really interesting how people are willing to hunt for these huge intimidating creatures. Pythons are capable of strangling and killing people. I know that I would be too scared to do this. I also would not want to use snakeskin for any bags or purses. Not only because it’s ugly, but it’s wrong in general. I might try the meat but other than that, I would want no part in this.
ReplyDeleteI would be scared to Brittany.
DeleteEven though I find snakes interesting,I would take the challenge,but only because of the money as I find it very useful.Even then I find the stories of Pythons in everglades very interesting as even though there not poisonous they are very dangerous.While I understand that the snake skin will be used for clothing products I still see that there could be more useful solutions.I would not eat snake meat unless my life depended on it,but we could sent snake meat to places like Africa,since I know very few people who would acctually eat snake meat.
ReplyDeleteThough the Pythons are an invasive species, I still would not take on the challenge. It's not that I'm afraid of snakes, because I'm not, it because I'm honestly not a fan of killing animals. I understand that this species has become a bit of a problem in the Everglades. There has to be some other way to move the snakes out of the area. Even if there isn't, I'm still against using animal products as fashion. That snake skin stuff is pretty ugly anyways. As Morgan said, I would probably donate the meat as I would not eat it myself.
ReplyDeletePythons are taking over Florida. They are having a challenge that is used to get rid of a bunch of them. 101 to be exact. I think that having that many snakes is too much to even know what to do with. I would most likely sell the skin because snake skin can be very expensive these days. As for the meat i would try it because i have tried alligator meat so why not snake meat. I feel like this would very scary to to have the job of catching all these and dealing with them. But personally i though this was a pretty cool story.
ReplyDeleteI did the article on the python challenge. Personally I'd love to do this because pythons are dangerous and serve as a threat to nature and neighboring societies. This might sound immoral but I would love to have snakeskin purse or wallet. It looks cool. This invasive species is causing problems and a competition is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video on pythons. I believe it is a good thing for snake hunters to hunt these snakes. Pythons are getting out of control, so we need hunters to hunt them to control their population. Also, pythons are very dangerous to urban areas. By getting this snake skin and selling it will bring jobs to those who might not have one. If I was doing the python challenge I would make the snake skin into purses and I would put the heads of the snakes onto staffs.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that snakes are cool but I think that the python challenge is good to help stop the invasive species. Also, I would join the challenge for the money. These people that go out for this challenge are very brave because some of these Pythons are 11 ft man killers.
ReplyDeleteYes Dean, these men are very brave for hunting these 15 foot cold-blooded, man-killer serpents.
DeleteAfter reading about the Burmese Python Challenge,I've decided that I wouldn't participate because to me it seems too risky.This is a challenge in the Florida everglades where you hunt as many possible snakes to get rid of the invasive species in order to win a cash prize. That challenge is merely to decrease the amount of the pythons in the everglades because they are harming Florida's environment. Personally, I wouldn't use that skin for anything if I did kill a python because to me it's not that pretty and I don't agree with the idea anyway. I don't think that I would try the meat because just the thought that I would be eating a snake is nasty to me.
ReplyDeletePersonally,I very much dislike snakes, I've never been interested in going near one or owning one. The Python Challenge seems very entertaining to watch and hear about, but I would never ever hunt for snakes for money. The Python Challenge is hunting as many snakes as you can with the prize of winning money. In my opinion, I believe that we should leave the wild animals to themselves and not mess around in their habitat. No only would I be too scared, but it just seems like the wrong thing to do overall.
ReplyDeleteI think I would be terrified to go near a snake because I'm scared of them too.
DeleteI think snakes are a really cool animal. I love how they can travel without any limbs and often eat their prey whole. I would be interested in going to the everglades to hunt the invasive Burmese Python in the Burmese Python Challenge. If I had a ton of snakeskin I would make s suit out of it and it would look really cool. You cannot eat the meat of these snakes because it contains a lot of mercury so I would just dispose of it.
ReplyDeleteI would not take the Burmese python challenge, because they are way too dangerous for the the reward given. If I would though, the snake skin would be used to make sick wallets and boots I would sell to the public. With the meat I would find a vendor who sells exotic meats, and sell it to them for money. I think with the 106 snakes they could use the meats to feed other animals or put them as display in zoos.
ReplyDeleteWithin the first video about the Burmese Python Challenge, I learned that this contest began in an effort to curb the vast population of an invasive species within Florida, the Burmese Python. Although invasive species are extremely threatening to biodiversity and coherent ecosystems, I would not take part in this challenge; however, it mentioned one of the participants capturing the snakes instead of killing them which would be really interesting to try and accomplish. I would hope there would be a better way to rid the area of the invasive species, preferably a non-fatal one. The skin is most likely used for shoes and accessories, but I would not use it in this way for many reasons, mainly because of the way it is acquired as well as the fact that the snakeskin boots and other items just simply don't appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteThe python challenge consists of hunters go out and they hunt for snakes called pythons.The purpose of this challenge is because it helps get rid of an invasive species not native to the everglades. Pythons also are causing other native species to have issues catching prey. I'm usually not a big fan of hunting for sport, but I would be ok with participating in the python challenge. Their numbers are so large it wouldn't affect them much. I also wouldn't mind wearing some snake skin boots. As for the meat, I'd probably feed it to my turtle.
ReplyDeleteI like the way they did this Python challenge because it is a clever and fun way to get people involved in getting rid of these invasive species. Invasive species cause major issues in food chains because they kill too many organisms. The goal for this challenge is to kill as many pythons as you can and you get money in return. I don't think I would ever do this, but to the people that have the guts to do it, it's very interesting.
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