Krysko believes otherwise, saying researchers have documented attacks in the snakes' home range. When humans encounter Burmese pythons in the wild, the big snakes tend to sit tight or, if provoked, attempt to flee. Not African rock pythons, he said.

``These things don't just remain motionless,'' he said. ``It's got a really vicious temperament. It will readily strike at people.''

Because the two species are known to mate in captivity, the discovery raises the possibility of interbreeding in the wild. Under a biological concept called ``hybrid vigor,'' Reed said, that co-mingling of genes could produce yet another, hardier offshoot.

On the other hand, those offspring often shoot blanks, meaning they're incapable of reproducing, so Reed and Krysko said it's impossible to predict what effect such interbreeding might have. But a sci-fi super snake seems unlikely.

A NEW CONCERN

Still, they said, rock python alone represent a new concern. Unlike Burmese python, they argue there might still be time to hold them in check, largely confined to a small section of Miami-Dade.

Krysko, who charted the data on the rock python captures, said he's been disappointed by the response of state wildlife managers, who are directing eradication efforts on state lands. ``They refuse to even acknowledge it,'' he said.

Patricia Behnke, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, disputed that. The commission has issued permits to 13 experts to track and catch snakes. As of Wednesday, the python patrol had netted 24 snakes -- all Burmese.

Behnke said the commission's biologists believe there isn't enough information on rock pythons to pronounce them established, but in response to Krysko's report, she said the agency had directed its patrol members to focus on the area.

``Our feeling is that any one of these in the wild is too many,'' she said. ``They need to be gone from there.''