Python hunting

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I love snakes actually," he said. "But I also love the Everglades. I grew up here and it's not the same. You don't see the same fish. You don't see any mammals. All you really see are pythons."

Since they first arrived about three decades ago - either as escaped pets or loosed from a nearby breeding facility by Hurricane Andrew - pythons have taken control of the marshes, becoming their top predator and gobbling up nearly all the small mammals. According to one study, the number of raccoons and possums in Everglades National Park had dropped by 99 and 88 percent, respectively, by 2011. No marsh rabbits or bobcats could be found. Scientists also think the snakes are increasingly crowding around tree islands and feasting on wading birds.

Quote: rxwine

I guess when the pythons eat everything they'll be gone too.

Quote: rAsxwine

They don't seem to like the weather in N. Florida. Only migration is water, south, east or west

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Thousands of adorable but poisonous Bufo toads, which can kill pets and are dangerous to children, have invaded a suburban Florida neighborhood.

Cane toads, as they are known, range from 6 to 9 inches in length. Their babies are dime-sized, though, and those are the creatures hopping around in droves.
“I just see a massive amount of toads or frogs everywhere, covering every square inch,” said Jennifer Quasha, who lives in an affected area of Palm Beach Gardens, to WPTV. “You can’t even walk through the grass without stepping on one.”

Besides being disconcerting, the invasive amphibians – first introduced to south Florida from their native Central and South America as pest control in sugar cane fields – can harm small animals and children.

Luckily there’s an outfit called Toad Busters ready to come to the rescue of residents and their pets.