The Burmese python has been incubating her eggs for five weeks now.
All together it will take 60 days for the hatchlings to fully develop. During
nighttime when the temperature drops she will have to stay constantly coiled
around the eggs to keep them warm.
But nighttime is also the time when most predators are on the hunt for food. And
tonight she seems alert and nervous investigating the smallest movement near
her nest until she discovered something lurking in the darkness...
With a swift bite she tries to scare off the intruder - a harmless
Florida box turtle!
The box turtle is endemic to Florida. Its distinct shell with the hinge plastrum
offers ample protection from most predators. After recovering from the
Python's attack it continues its search for food and purposeful
cruises around the snake's lair.
fFnally, the turtle decides to move in with the large Python but the snake
won't have none of it and blocks the entrance which doesn't stop the turtle
at all.
Gopher tortoise share their burrow frequently with other reptiles including the
venomous Eastern diamondback rattlesnake. But the python has to protect
her eggs. The sharp claws of the turtle could damage them. At the moment she
has no choice and accepts unwilling the turtle's intrusion.
But soon the Python gets agitated when the turtle scuffles with the cane
toad which moved in two weeks prior.
The toad wants the turtle gone and so does the snake!
Relentlessly pushing and showing, the python finally is able to remove the
turtle from its lair.
The bufo toad is wasting no time and returns to the safety of den immediately.
Turtles can be willful creatures and this one has a mind of her own.
Nevertheless, the strike of a furious python settles the matter once and for
all. The indigenous turtle gets the message from the invasive species and
moves on through the night to find shelter at a more placid location.