pet owners who let them go

pet dealers who released them into the wild

the large number of eggs the snakes produce

the snakes' ability to swim and move well

Pythons grew too big to handle at home.

Owners became educated about pythons.

People no longer got pythons as pets.

Pet dealers stopped bringing pythons to the United States.

Pythons are not native to the everglades.

Burmese pythons can grow to 20 feet long.

Pythons can swim and move well on land.

Florida park rangers are on "python patrol."

they can grow to 20 feet long

they put endangered animals at greater risk

biologists can study them in their natural habitat

they control the alligator population