Jacobson Elliott R, Barker David G, Barker Tracy M, Mauldin Richard, Avery Michael L, Engeman Richard, Secor Stephen
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FloridaVida Preciosa International (VPI), Boerne, TexasUS Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, ColoradoUS Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Gainesville, FloridaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
Integr Zool. 2012 Sep;7(3):271-285. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2012.00306.x.
A well-established population of Burmese pythons resides in the Everglades of southern Florida. Prompted in part by a report that identified much of southern USA as suitable habitat for expansion or establishment of the Burmese python, we examined the plausibility of this snake to survive winters at sites north of the Everglades. We integrated daily low and high temperatures recorded from October to February from 2005-2011 at Homestead, Orlando and Gainesville, Florida; and Aiken, South Carolina, with minimum temperatures projected for python digestion (16 °C), activity (5 °C) and survival (0 °C). Mean low and high temperatures decreased northward from Homestead to Aiken and the number of days of freezing temperatures increased northward. Digestion was impaired or inhibited for 2 months in the Everglades and up to at least 5 months in Aiken, and activity was increasingly limited northward during these months. Reports of overwinter survivorship document that a single bout of low and freezing temperatures results in python death. The capacity for Burmese pythons to successfully overwinter in more temperate regions of the USA is seemingly prohibited because they lack the behaviors to seek refuge from, and the physiology to tolerate, cold temperatures. As tropical Southeast Asia is the source of the Everglades Burmese pythons, we predict it is unlikely that they will be able to successfully expand to or colonize more temperate areas of Florida and adjoining states due to their lack of behavioral and physiological traits to seek refuge from cold temperatures.
在佛罗里达州南部的大沼泽地，有一群数量稳定的缅甸蟒。部分是受一份报告的启发，该报告指出美国南部大部分地区是缅甸蟒扩张或定居的适宜栖息地，我们研究了这种蛇在大沼泽地以北地区越冬的可能性。我们整合了2005年至2011年10月至2月期间在佛罗里达州的霍姆斯特德、奥兰多和盖恩斯维尔以及南卡罗来纳州的艾肯记录的每日低温和高温数据，以及预测的缅甸蟒消化（16℃）、活动（5℃）和生存（0℃）所需的最低温度。平均低温和高温从霍姆斯特德向北到艾肯逐渐降低，冰冻温度的天数向北增加。在大沼泽地，消化功能受损或受到抑制达2个月，在艾肯则至少长达5个月，在这些月份里，活动范围也越来越向北受限。关于越冬存活的报告表明，单次的低温和冰冻温度会导致缅甸蟒死亡。缅甸蟒似乎无法在美国更温和的地区成功越冬，因为它们缺乏躲避寒冷温度的行为和耐受寒冷温度的生理机能。由于大沼泽地的缅甸蟒原产于热带东南亚，我们预测它们不太可能成功扩张到佛罗里达州及毗邻州的更温和地区或在这些地区定居，因为它们缺乏躲避寒冷温度的行为和生理特征。
