It may be good news for the cotton rats, but it could spell serious danger for humans. But one thing they don't seem to have a taste for is cotton rats. So much so, scientists warn that cotton rats "now dominate the community" in parts of the Florida Everglades where pythons are prevalent, wildlife ecologist Robert McCleery told LiveScience. They found that death rates for cotton rats were about the same in both regions. Let's say a mosquito bites an infected cotton rat and then later feasts on your blood — you could become infected.

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Persons: —, Robert McCleery, LiveScience, McCleery, Rhona Wise, It's Organizations: Service, Getty, Geological Survey Locations: Florida, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, they're, Asia