A National Geographic Daily News article about the decline in mammals in the Florida Everglades due to the appetites of invasive Burmese pythons quoted Whit Gibbons, professor emeritus of ecology and head of outreach for the Savannah River Ecology Lab.
“My bet is that some of the mammals that have been affected will partially recover by managing to adapt or adjust,” he said. “It’s unlikely that raccoons are going to go extinct in Florida.”
Though the ecosystem “may not collapse, it will likely change,” he added. “Maybe next time we could prevent changes we don’t want to happen.”
