If you go down to the Florida Everglades today, you're in for a big surprise: in the past 12 years, 90 per cent of the wild mammals which once roamed freely through the National Park have gone.

Snakes are to blame, say scientists. Big ones. Specifically: an exponentially-growing population of Giant Burmese Pythons, which can grow up to 16 feet long and have a huge appetite.

The creatures were first discovered in the park in 2000. They got there after being released into the wild by overwhelmed pet owners, and quickly established a breeding population.

No-one knows exactly how large their population has grown. But in the past 12 years, rangers have captured or killed a total of 1,825, without seeming to make a significant impact on their ability to reproduce, voraciously.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/pythons-are-squeezing-the-life-outof-the-everglades-scientists-warn-6297653.html