Python Ban... Bad news

[vfoerster]

Can you say fishing hard core for temps to go up drasticly? And photoshoping one line in and copying onto the US?

[morti]

Originally Posted by duckworth

it just seems that the "possible future climate changes" are meant to SUPPORT this map but CONFUSE at the same time.

the problem is that these animals couldn't survive the MILDEST of winters north of the panhandle, because even though there are a bunch of 70 degree winter days even in north alabama, there are 10x as many days at or below freezing FOR THE HIGHS.

the ONLY way alligators are able to handle this is by brumating, but these snakes aren't known to brumate at all. alligators learned this millions of years ago.

it's one thing to survive in a TROPICAL ZONE. i don't see how they could conclude that it's even POSSIBLE that a tropical species with VERY low tolerance to cold weather could survive in a climate where sub-freezing temps occur for 2-3 months per year.

if there was evidence of brumation, then maybe, but there isn't.

Read the paper. They are suggesting that they brumate.

[duckworth]

Originally Posted by morti

Read the paper. They are suggesting that they brumate.

suggesting but ZERO evidence. there is no recorded data on brumation for these animals.

that's the whole thing, for this to even be remotely plausible, they want us to ASSUME they brumate.

i understand science, but this isn't science. it's propaganda.

if the temps increased enough to allow them to survive our winters here, then the ice caps are going to be melting and there will be 1000000 other things to worry about.

also, about brumation, animals still go through the metabolism and body temp changes, but are able to react to warm days and take advantage of them. if they're going to cite some burms crawling up in a hole for a couple days as evidence of brumation, they're just going to look less credible. burrowing up to escape extreme heat is one thing, weeks of inactivity, low metabolism and lower than normal body temps are something totally different

[duckworth]

also, the animals that ARE from the cooler parts of the burmese python's range are probably more able to handle colder weather.

alligators from south florida couldn't make it through a northern florida winter. when the state of alabama released the gators here in north alabama in the 70's, they suspect that the ONLY gators that survived were those captured in south alabama, who had been brumating for generations. the other 50 or so that washed up, dead, were thought to be the ones from farther south in south florida, those that weren't accustomed to cooler weather or the practice of brumation.

[morti]

man, I am a big fan of saying that they absolutely do not brumate, but I personally don't have evidence to support that statement. Please provide us with that evidence. I would really really like it.

[BWSmith]

Originally Posted by morti

Yup... you got a different person responding. I got Skip Snow.

Skip is actually in the Glades. There is a distinct possibility that he has his own agenda attached in this.

[morti]

Originally Posted by BWSmith

Skip is actually in the Glades. There is a distinct possibility that he has his own agenda attached in this.

Yeah, I caught on to that.