The battle against one of Florida’s most destructive invasive species has reached a new milestone.
Biologists with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida have removed a record 8,080 pounds (3,665 kilograms) of invasive Burmese pythons from the region during the latest research and removal season — nearly 2,000 pounds more than last year.
The figures, released Wednesday, reveal that 177 Burmese pythons were captured between November 2025 and April 2026, marking the most successful season in the conservancy’s history.
The giant constrictors, native to Southeast Asia, have become firmly established across South Florida and are widely blamed for devastating native wildlife populations. With few natural predators in the Everglades ecosystem, the snakes have thrived, consuming everything from rabbits and raccoons to wading birds and even deer.
Scientists say the latest success is due largely to sophisticated tracking techniques and the use of so-called “scout snakes” — radio-tagged male pythons that unknowingly lead researchers to breeding females during the mating season.
This year, 40 tagged males were deployed as part of the program. By following their movements, biologists were able to locate breeding aggregations and remove female pythons before they had the opportunity to lay thousands of eggs.
The latest haul pushes the conservancy’s long-term total to well over 20 tons of Burmese pythons removed from a 200-square-mile area of Southwest Florida since the program began in 2013.
For conservationists, the figures are both encouraging and sobering.
While the record-breaking season demonstrates that targeted removal efforts can reduce python numbers in key habitats, it also highlights the scale of an invasion that continues to threaten one of North America’s most unique ecosystems.
The fight is far from over, but for Florida’s native wildlife, this year’s results represent a significant victory in a long-running environmental battle.