Researchers release a 16ft and 150-pound female Burmese python into the Greater Everglades to test a technology that might help remove snakes of her own species

Researchers at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have released a radio-tagged female python back into the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in southern Florida as part of a study to test whether drones can help track the invasive snakes in the region. The python Burmese python, 16 feet long and weighing nearly 150 pounds, was released as biologists tested a small uncrewed aircraft system (sUAS) designed to help locate and monitor the reptiles. The experiment was detailed in a news piece published by the USGS on its website in late-September.

What is the goal of the study?

The research is aimed at making python tracking more efficient in a complex region where wetlands, dense vegetation, and difficult terrain tend to complicate fieldwork.

Scientists are trying to determine whether these aerial objects equipped with radio-tracking technology or cameras can enhance the collection of data, reduce costs, and limit the amount of time workers spend searching for tagged pythons.


According to the article, USGS biologists operated a small UAS as interns from the University of Florida's Everglades Invasive Reptile Internship Program released the radio-tagged python into the wilderness.

The technology is significantly more advanced, compared to traditional radio equipment that requires researchers to travel through difficult terrain, following signals from the transmitters implanted in the reptiles. Aerial devices, on the other hand, could potentially make it easier to scout larger areas and collect data more frequently.

It should be noted that the technology is still being evaluated. How effective the aircraft systems are and whether they will replace conventional monitoring methods remains to be seen.

How does radio-tagging help researchers?

The experiment is part of an ongoing USGS programme that uses radio-tagged Burmese pythons, also referred to as scout snakes, to locate others around them. During the breeding season, tracking a python can lead researchers to groups of males gathered around a single female, allowing researchers to remove more snakes at a time.

This strategy has contributed to a significant number of removals over the years. In an update in mid-2020, the USGS reported that as part of a multi-agency effort, scout python tracking during the 2019-2020 breeding season had helped in the removal of 86 adult Burmese pythons weighing around 5,000 pounds cumulatively.

Importantly, more than 50 of them were reproductive females carrying over 2,500 developing eggs.

Why is it important to remove Burmese pythons?

The large number of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem has raised concerns as they are known to prey on a wide range of native animals, including species that are already facing conservation pressures.

The USGS research has documented Burmese pythons consuming a range of native creatures, including the federally-endangered Key Largo woodrat, as well as wood storks, limpkins, and round-tailed muskrats.

The primary intent of the drone experiment is to find alternatives to some of the most pressing logistical challenges involved in tracking geo-tagged pythons across the Greater Everglades region.

The USGS says that the technology is being tested to improve research data, efficiency, and safety of fieldworkers. It remains under evaluation whether the technology is feasible in the complex landscape of the Greater Everglades.

Why are there so many pythons in the Everglades?

There is such a large number of Burmese pythons in the Greater Everglades region because people accidentally or deliberately released captive pet snakes into the wild, according to the National Park Service (NPS). They have since reproduced and multiplied, as locating and removing them remains both time-taking and expensive.

The Greater Everglades Ecosystem is a vast and interconnected system of wetlands and waterways, considered a unique ecological treasure. It is home to more than 1,600 species of plants and animals, including many endangered species.