Pythons are a huge problem in Florida. They are an invasive species that has been wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. Last year snake hunters removed literally miles worth of snakes and have barely made a dent in the population.
Now researchers have developed a new tactic that is already paying dividends. They have fitted male snakes with GPS devices and use them to track down large breeding female snakes.
This approach aided them in capturing the largest female snake ever taken off the Big Cypress National Preserve. The snake weighed in at around 140 pounds and was 17 feet long. Not only were they able to get her out of the ecosystem but also the clutch of 73 eggs she was guarding.
The researchers posted pictures to their Facebook page and it quickly went viral.
A New Record and The Research Continue. This female was over 17 feet long, weighed 140 pounds, and contained 73 developing eggs.
She is the largest python ever removed from Big Cypress National Preserve– and she was caught because of research and a new approach to finding pythons.
Using male pythons with radio transmitters allows the team to track the male to locate breeding females. The team not only removes the invasive snakes, but collects data for research, develop new removal tools, and learn how the pythons are using the Preserve.
The team tracked one of the sentinel males with the transmitter and found this massive female nearby.
All of the python work at Big Cypress is focused on controlling this invasive species, which poses significant threats to native wildlife.
The Resource Management staff would like to thank all of the Preseve divisions that have supported the python program. Their support, along with the tireless efforts of our partners at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), have allowed us to locate and remove several breeding female pythons over the past few months. Thanks everyone!
Remember that the EDDMapS allows you to enter data where you see pythons in Big Cypress. Your information will be used in fighting this invasive species.