Burmese Pythons

Florida is home to more than 500 nonnative species, more than 50 of which are reptiles. Current monitoring techniques depend on visual surveys by scientists, and this is far from an exact science because reptiles — particularly snakes — are extremely elusive. A new technique being developed by scientists at University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) can identify DNA traces of Burmese pythons — as well as northern African pythons, boa constrictors, and rainbow boas — weeks after they have left an area using soil or water samples.

Naples resident Jake Waleri, who is 22 and an amateur python hunter, caught a world-record 19-footer with some friends earlier this month in the Big Cypress National Preserve.

Florida lawmakers this month passed a record $117 billion budget that covers more than 500 pages and includes high-profile issues such as money for schools, health care, environmental projects and road construction.But also tucked inside the spending plan are more than 1,500 projects pushed by individual lawmakers and fine print that details how tax dollars must be used. The budget, which will take effect July 1, still needs approval from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has line-item veto power.

The winners in this summer’s come-one, come-all Florida Python Challenge were announced Thursday in a contest that drew nearly 1,000 professional and amateur hunters from three countries and removed 231 invasive snakes from the Everglades.Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and negatively impact native species and are found in and around the Everglades ecosystem. A female Burmese python lays up to 100 eggs at a time. Since 2000, more than 17,000 wild Burmese pythons have been removed from Florida.

Let’s say that, for fun, you wanted to go into alligator-infested area, hip-deep in water where you can’t see the bottom, standing in mushy marl, in the middle of the night, and try to capture a huge snake that in turn may want to capture you. Then, the Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “2022 Florida Python Challenge®” is for you.

The largest Burmese python ever discovered in Florida was captured from the Everglades and brought to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida for research. The female python, weighing in at 215 pounds and 18 feet long, had 122 eggs inside of her, which is the largest egg count ever recorded for a python.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida, and the South Florida Water Management District have announced a new $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize award, sponsored by Virtual Business Services, for the 2021 Florida Python Challenge. The award will go to this year's Florida Python Challenge participant who removes the most pythons.

We are all connected by the environment we share. The Earth is our home. This is the space where we share the environmental stories that caught our attention this week in Florida and beyond.

Eighty Burmese pythons were caught during Miami's 10-day Super Bowl hunt, designed to raise awareness about the invasive species decimating the Everglades.

The Burmese python has come a long way from once being a beloved household pet, to now a top predator in Florida's wild. A study on Florida's east coast...