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Despite Cold & Drought, Pythons Prospering In Everglades

MIAMI (CBS4) - Despite record breaking winter cold snaps and drought, pythons appear to prospering in the Everglades.

After last years cold snaps, researchers speculated that many of the non-native pythons in the River of grass couldn't have survived. Now they are re-thinking that position. More than two dozen have been caught so far this year and the South Florida Water Management District says it removed six pythons from the Everglades in the last week alone. The snakes were recovered in areas where they were not previously found.

Burmese pythons are top predators known to prey on more than 20 native Florida species.

FAST FACTS: Burmese Pythons

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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