Part 3/17:
Standing over 18 feet long and weighing over 200 pounds in some cases, these snakes now dominate their ecosystem, preying on everything from raccoons and rabbits to deer and even alligators. Their presence has caused unprecedented declines in native small mammals and bird populations, with some species declining by over 98%. Lost prey and disrupted predator-prey dynamics have led to a dramatic ecological collapse, making the Everglades a “living laboratory of loss,” as conservationists describe it.