Globalization and travel has helped bring about wonderful things in cultural diversity. It has also brought about things that shouldn’t. Invasive species are a threat to ecosystems. If a plant or animal goes from one area to another it’s not native to, it can cause havoc. In the state of Florida, the Burmese python is one such invasive species. To fight against it, researchers are turning to the opossum.
The Burmese Python is a big snake. Big enough to where it chomps down on various mammals. Because of a lack of natural predators, the python can demolish other populations. It’s already doing a number on racoons and opossums. These snakes need to be found and eliminated to keep a natural balance. That’s where the opossum comes in.
Researchers have found that since the opossum is open prey for the pythons anyway, they could be of use. If GPS collars are affixed to the little critters, then if a snake does end up eating them, the snake can be found. The collar stays inside the snake for a while allowing it to be located and taken care of.
It might sound a bit barbaric but it’s not any worse than what the opossums are already up against. These wild animals are getting eaten no matter what. If their deaths by these snakes can be used to help eliminate the unnatural predators, all the better. By this summer, research teams hope to have 40 GPS equipped opossums ready to go.
Invasive species are a big issue. As climate change and other environmental issues wreak havoc, this is one thing we can take greater control of. Now if we can stem the tide of those murder hornets on the west coast we’ll be all set.
