The study mapped areas where climates are similar to the snake's native habitat in southeast Asia, and found conditions are warm enough in the southern third of the United States, including most of Oklahoma, to support the reptiles.
Burmese pythons were accidentally introduced into the wild in Florida, where they have been thriving, and officials fear they will spread.
Even though the pythons might find Oklahoma's weather suitable, local wildlife experts don't expect to run into any of the massive constrictors any time soon.
"That's just absurd,” said Bob Clark, an Oklahoma City breeder of pythons. "If you put one out in the front yard on a day like today, you would have a snake-sickle by the end of the day.”
Since pythons are tropical, Clark said, he doubts they would adapt well to Oklahoma's weather extremes.
Laurie Vitt, a herpetology professor and curator of reptiles at the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, disagreed. Though pythons don't typically live underground, all snakes can survive cold conditions by burrowing, Vitt said. They also slow their metabolism in a sort of hibernation.
All snakes native to Oklahoma survive by using that adaptation, but most tropical snakes don't bother with hibernation because it never gets too cold in the tropics, Vitt said.
A number of other factors must be considered, including whether there is adequate food and whether they can survive predators and hazards, Vitt said.
The Geological Survey is working on a survey studying the behavior and biology of the snakes to find out what specific factors they would need to survive. Scientists hope the study, set to be completed in early 2009, will allow them to better pinpoint where the snakes could spread.
The snakes can grow to more than 20 feet in length in the wild with a body as thick as a telephone pole. They'll also eat almost anything, even taking on alligators.
Although popular in the pet industry, the snakes grow fast, leaving many pet owners unable to handle their massive companions. At least four Burmese pythons have been surrendered to the Oklahoma City animal shelter in the past four years, said Steve Fisher, supervisor.
"One guy got rid of his because it kept biting him,” he said. Others had to get rid of the snakes because they simply got too big to handle.
The federal study also used climate change projections to show where suitable habitats for the snakes might be 100 years from now.
Current research shows a general warming trend for Oklahoma, but there is uncertainty about whether it will be more humid or more arid in the future, said Derek Arndt, a climatologist at the state Climatological Survey.
