Burmese Pythons are Pretty Cool.

Today's animal of the Day is the Burmese Python!

Sssso I bet you're Sssuper Ssstoked to Ssstart learning about this Burmese Python Ssso here you go!

• The Burmese Python lives in Southeast Asia in the jungles and marshes. 
• They're awesome swimmers and can hold their breath for 30 minutes
• They eat birds and small carnivores. They can swallow their prey whole due to the stretchy ligaments in their jaw.
• Instead of killing their prey with venom, they bite their prey and wrap their body around it until the prey suffocates to death. 
• They have poor eye sight, but they have heat sensors

What a frightening double threat

 So you want a pet Burmese Python...
Well actually, that's not an uncommon thing, to have a pet Burmese Python. They're not a bad pet to have if they are cared for properly by someone who knows what they're doing. However, for the majority of the population, it's not a good idea, and let's discuss why!

• They're HUGE. They are one of the largest snakes in the world. They can grow up to 23ft long, weight up to 200lbs, and they can be as wide as a telephone pole. So let's list what problems come with that, they'll need a big cage with a lot of room, the bigger they are the more food they need, also, the bigger they are, the larger the prey they can consume. 
• Where's the love? Although Burmese pythons are considered quite docile for a snake, you can't just handle it whenever you want to. Its recommended that you have an extra person (or persons depending on size) when handling the python, and when feeding the python. Also, you can't handle them for awhile after they've fed (possibly a day or more) so they don't throw up their food. This means that when you're home alone crying about your solitude, even your giant pet snake can't cuddle with you until the brutal sting of solitude simmers away.
• You'll get hooked. If you slip up while handling a tempered snake, you'll most likely get bit. But with the Burmese Python's bite you're in for a treat! Their fangs are hook shaped which is designed to hold their prey in place while they slowly strangle it to death. Imagine that painful struggle freeing your hand, or any other part it has managed to grab, from the angry grasp of your python. 
• They have eyes bigger than their stomach. Pythons have literally exploded after eating a meal too big for them. Although they usually focus on a diet adequate for their size like rodents, the bigger ones have eaten goats and deers. The Burmese Python, as well as other constricting snakes, have killed small children and even teenagers. 
• It's Illegal. In the state of Ohio, you can not own a snake that is over 12 feet long without a tedious permit that is hard to obtain. Even then, the rules and regulations for owning the snake are pretty strict, it'd be hard to maintain unless you are a snake professional.

*Special Note: Although I joke around about owning a Burmese Python, it's a serious issue. In Florida, owners of Burmese Pythons thought they could handle the responsibility but later realized they couldn't. Their solution? Releasing the snake into the wild. With the unique swampy and everglade habitats of Florida, these pythons are able to survive and reproduce well. This is called an invasive species. Introducing a new species to an already established and effective ecosystem poses several serious issues. For starters, a species like the Burmese Python challenges the other Apex predators, like the American Crocodile, creating unbalance in the ecosystem (A video of this can be seen below). Second, the people of the area are not adapted to these foreign species causing innocent animals to die. All in all, it's best to not attempt to handle animals that belong in their natural habitats for the wild. It can not only keep people safe, it also can keep the animal safe.