In 2024, Florida scientists found a surprising way to detect invasive snakes: Their DNA can be found in water and soil even after they are gone

A 2024 study by Florida scientists revealed a promising new way to detect invasive snakes without having to actually find or capture them. Researchers found that DNA left behind by snakes in water and soil can be collected and analyzed, potentially giving wildlife managers a faster way to identify elusive species such as Burmese pythons.

Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have developed a test that can detect traces of invasive snakes from environmental DNA, or eDNA, collected from water and soil. The method can identify four invasive snake species from a single sample.

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A new way to find hidden invasive snakes

Florida has more than 500 nonnative species, including more than 50 established nonnative reptiles. Some invasive snakes are particularly difficult to locate because they can remain hidden in dense vegetation and other hard-to-search habitats.

Traditional surveys often depend on people physically spotting or capturing the animals. For Burmese pythons, those methods can be especially challenging, with visual surveys estimated to detect less than 5% of the snakes.

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The new eDNA approach could help fill that gap.

Environmental DNA is genetic material animals leave behind in their surroundings. As snakes move through an area, traces of their DNA can end up in soil or water.

Scientists can collect those samples and test them for specific genetic signatures.

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One sample can detect four snake species

The UF/IFAS researchers developed what is known as a tetraplex digital PCR assay. Rather than testing separately for each species, the method can search for four invasive snakes at the same time.

The test was designed to identify:

• Burmese pythons
• Northern African pythons
• Boa constrictors
• Rainbow boas

That ability could make invasive-species monitoring faster and potentially less expensive, particularly in areas where several nonnative species are present.

“While eDNA sampling has been applied to detect non-native wildlife, the benefit of our methodology is that we can now sample for numerous target species within a single sample,” Melissa Miller, an invasion ecologist at UF/IFAS, said.

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Snake DNA can remain after the animal leaves

One of the most promising aspects of the research is that scientists do not necessarily have to find the snake itself.

During experiments, researchers were able to detect Burmese python DNA in water after placing a python in the water and collecting samples at different intervals.

They also conducted a field experiment showing that snake DNA could be detected in soil where a snake had been resting up to two weeks after the animal had been removed.

That could give wildlife managers another way to determine whether an invasive snake has been present in a particular location.

Why the discovery matters for Florida

Invasive constrictors pose major challenges for Florida's ecosystems, including the Everglades. They can affect native wildlife while also creating significant management costs.

The state and federal governments spent more than $10 million between 2004 and 2021 managing Burmese pythons alone, according to UF/IFAS.

Researchers hope the new testing method can support early detection and rapid removal, helping managers respond before invasive populations become even harder to control.

“We hope this novel eDNA sampling tool we have designed will help increase efficiency in invasive species management, allowing for early detection and rapid removal of nonnative species,” Miller said.

The DNA test could expand beyond snakes

The researchers say this may be only the beginning. Future versions could be expanded to identify additional invasive species, including fish such as Asian swamp eels and bullseye snakeheads.

The team also wants to develop a regional, multi-species sampling network that could help detect new invasions and measure whether removal programs are working.

For Florida, where invasive wildlife can be notoriously difficult to spot, the ability to search for an animal through the DNA it leaves behind could become an important new tool for protecting native ecosystems.