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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Ain't that Florida?

Posted by on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 9:21 AM

Python hunt! To help thin the population of escaped-and-released pythons that, apparently, threaten to take over the Everglades. (Pets-gone-awry must be the most destructive category of animals on the planet—after people, of course.) It's worth clicking through for the photo alone.

"If you're in there hunting, and you see a python, you can kill it,"' Hardin said.

Hunters have used nets and snares and guns to subdue the reptiles, but all legal hunting methods are allowed, including bang sticks, harpoons and spear guns.

Bang sticks?

Wikipedia sez: aka "powerheads" (this whole story's one long double entendre) bang sticks are guns designed for firing underwater, when in direct contact with the target.

Although most commercial powerheads use standard handgun ammunition, such as .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum, the bullet has little or no effect on the killing power of the bang stick. The muzzle blast does the damage, as much high-pressure gas is forced into the flesh of the target. Blank cartridges can produce fatal wounds when fired in or near contact, and they work well in powerheads

And, for a little Thursday morning etymology:

python
1590, the fabled serpent, slain by Apollo, near Delphi, from L. Python, from Gk. Python, probably related to Pytho, the old name of Delphi, perhaps itself related to pythein "to rot." Zoological application to large non-venomous snakes of the tropics is from 1836, originally in Fr.

pythoness
late 14c., "woman with the power of soothsaying," from O.Fr. phitonise (13c.), from L.L. pythonissa, used in Vulgate of the Witch of Endor (I Sam. xxviii. 7), and often treated as her proper name, lit. fem. of pytho "familiar spirit;" which ultimately is connected with the title of the prophetess of the Delphic Oracle, Gk. pythia hiereia, from Pythios, an epithet of Apollo, from Pytho, older name of the region of Delphi (see python).

 

Comments (16) RSS

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Rob in Baltimore 1
It's Snake Whacking Day! Where's Barry White!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701292/quot…
Posted by Rob in Baltimore http://www.wishbookweb.com/ on November 5, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Fnarf 2
PBS has been running an excellent documentary on Monty Python.

People who own or want to own exotic pets should have their organs harvested.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on November 5, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Carollani 3
We have made this world so much worse. Thank god for the forward thinking wisdom of the people who fought tooth and nail for the national parks. Little slivers of a world unmolested by humans.
Posted by Carollani http://twitter.com/carollani on November 5, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Keekee 4
Holy Jeebus! That snake is huge. Pretty scary to think that those things are a-slithering around out there. Reminds me how of much I love the PNW.
Posted by Keekee on November 5, 2009 at 10:06 AM
Sargon Bighorn 5
Finally, I can in good conscience get that python skin pair of cowboy boots!
Posted by Sargon Bighorn on November 5, 2009 at 10:21 AM
Timrrr 6
Bangsticks are the anti-shark accessory of choice for today's frogman on the go.
Posted by Timrrr on November 5, 2009 at 10:25 AM
FreudianShrimp 7
@2: Are you sure it's on PBS? I watched a week's worth of Monty Python documentaries of Independent Movie Channel last week.

http://www.ifc.com/videos/monty-python-f…
Posted by FreudianShrimp on November 5, 2009 at 11:17 AM
FreudianShrimp 8
Er, I meant Independent Film Channel.
Posted by FreudianShrimp on November 5, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Fnarf 9
@7, @8, you are correct. I amb dumb.
Posted by Fnarf http://www.facebook.com/fnarf on November 5, 2009 at 11:20 AM
10
Wasn't there a Mythbusters where they demonstrated that the ammo is essentially useless once you have about 3 feet of water between you and the gun? I plan to bank on that someday!

Sounds like there is a new mythbusters episode (or two) in this post!
Posted by PortervilleNerd on November 5, 2009 at 11:53 AM
Urgutha Forka 11
Florida would be a nice place if it weren't for all the Floridians.
Posted by Urgutha Forka on November 5, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Fifty-Two-Eighty 12
And the cockroaches. Don't forget the cockroaches. (I think the little green lizards are kinda cute, though.)
Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty http://www.nra.org on November 5, 2009 at 12:18 PM
gttim 13
They estimate ten of thousands of pythons in the Everglades and are pleased they caught 37? Hell, I pissed in the ocean the other day and made the sea level rise!
Posted by gttim on November 5, 2009 at 12:56 PM
STJA 14
Freakin' finally. Exotic pets are the worst idea ever.
Posted by STJA on November 5, 2009 at 2:01 PM
15
Can you imagine if they did this to feral cats and dogs in cities?

That's just mean. I guess we are agains evolution taking its course. We must save those on the way out and kill those on the way in.
Posted by subwlf on November 6, 2009 at 2:20 PM
16
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