NJSnakeMan said:
Burmese Python are well established in isolated parts of FL now. A lot of them were released because they got to big for pets, there are a lot of other introduced species in FL as well. Too many to name.
Most of the smaller burmese pythons that are found these days are the result of the species having bred and laid eggs that hatched .. The burmese is now a self-sustaining population in southern FL.
The Cuban anole, a lizard, is now established in several regions of Miami.
As for birds, at least 10 species of Central and South American parrots - mostly various conures and Amazons - now breed in FL and southern California. There is even a species of communal nesting parrot from South America - the Quaker parrot - that has reportedly estalished breeding populations in: Florida, Connecticut, New York City, Texas, Detroit, and Vancouver, BC. I've heard they are also in Newark, but have not had that confirmed. Their range in South America includes regions that experience a full spectrum of seasonal changes, so they aclimate to the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere quite well.
The releases are often not intentional in the case of the parrots; shipping crates full of imported birds have been dropped and broken open, releasing the birds.
Dave
