Wildlife officials hope chilly temperatures in South Florida help keep another large snake from making a home in the Everglades.
Officials ventured into the Everglades near Krome Avenue and Northwest 8th Street Thursday looking for northern African Pythons.
"We have we have found a good number in the surrounding neighborhoods, either in the canals or natural areas, just next to two houses," FWC biologist Jenny Ketterlin Eckles said.
For the last five years, wildlife authorities from multiple agencies have raced to keep northern African pythons from spreading beyond a small Miami-area colony.
Officials don't want the aggressive snakes also known as rock pythons to slither into the Everglades, where Burmese pythons are blamed for decimating the population of native mammals.
Neither python species is native to Florida, where they have no natural enemies. Authorities have banned keeping both species as pets.
Rock pythons can be easier to spot in colder weather when the cold-blooded reptiles seek warmth in open, sunny areas.
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Officials said they have caught 29 northern African pythons since 2001. Wildlife officials are not sure how many pythons are out in the Everglades but their goal is to get rid of all of them.
