which animal was responsible for a 99% drop in opossum populations in the everglades in 2012
The invasive Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is believed to be responsible for significant declines in mammal populations in the Everglades, including opossums, raccoons, and rabbits. These pythons, which are not native to Florida, have established a breeding population in the Everglades and have become one of the region's top predators. They consume a wide variety of wildlife and have caused ecological disruption.
A study published in 2012 by researchers from the University of Florida, the U.S. Geological Survey, and others, reported drastic declines in raccoon, Virginia opossum, and bobcat populations, along with the complete absence of rabbits and foxes, likely due to predation by Burmese pythons. While the exact percentage of decline might vary with the study or report, the introduction of the Burmese python has been widely recognized as a threat to the native wildlife of the Florida Everglades.