Exotic predators may threaten another island ecosystem: A comprehensive assessment of python and boa reports from the Florida Keys
Summarizing historical records of potentially invasive species increases understanding of propagule pressure, spatiotemporal trends, and establishment risk of these species. We compiled records of non-native pythons and boas from the Florida Keys, cross-referenced them to eliminate duplicates, and categorized each record’s credibility. We report on 159 observations of six python and boa species in the Florida Keys over the past 17 years. Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus), boa constrictors (Boa constrictor), and ball pythons (Python regius) are the most frequently reported species, but credible records of three additional species were also reported. Among the most notable records, we report on three hatchling and multiple reproductive Burmese pythons captured on North Key Largo since 2016, indicating that the species is now established on that island. The expanding mainland Burmese python population and ongoing python and boa introductions via pet and cargo pathways are likely to keep propagule pressure high in coming years. Both effective public outreach to solicit reporting of sightings and effective early detection and rapid response networks may help to prevent further establishment and associated ecological impacts of python and boa species in the Florida Keys.