Meet the robo-bunny: This tiny, furry robot is taking on invasive pythons in Florida
Yes, it's a mechanical rabbit. Just don't call it the Energizer bunny.
Researchers at the University of Florida have outfitted 40 furry, fake toy rabbits with motors and tiny heaters that work together to mimic the movements and body temperature of a marsh rabbit — a favorite python meal.
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Why are they using robot rabbits?
The bunnies spin. They shake. They move randomly, and their creation is based on more than a decade of scientific review that began with a 2012 study that transported rabbits into Everglades National Park to see if, and how quickly, they would become python prey.
'The rabbits didn't fare well,' said Robert McCleery, a UF professor of wildlife ecology and conservation who's leading the robot bunny study that launched this summer.
Subsequent studies revealed that pythons are drawn to live rabbits in pens with an average python attraction rate of about one snake per week. But having multiple live rabbits in pens spread across a formidable landscape is cumbersome and requires too much manpower to care for them.
So, why not robot bunnies?
'We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off,' McCleery said. 'But I'm an ecologist. I'm not someone who sits around making robots.'
Instead, colleague Chris Dutton, also a UF ecology professor but more mechanically adept, pulled the stuffing out of a toy rabbit and replaced it with 30 electronic components that are solar-powered and controlled remotely so that researchers can turn them on and off at specific times.
The rabbits were placed in different areas of South Florida in July 2025 for a test phase that includes a camera programmed to recognize python movement and alert researchers when one nears the rabbit pen. One of the biggest challenges was waterproofing the bunnies so the correct temperature could still be radiated.
McCleery was reluctant to give specifics on where the rabbit pens are located.
'I don't want people hunting down my robo-bunnies,' he said.
Version 2.0 of the study will add bunny scent to the stuffed rabbits if motion and heat aren't enough to fool the snakes.
Why are Burmese pythons a problem?
Burmese pythons aren't native to Florida. They were introduced to the state through the pet trade in the 1970s and release over time into the wild. The snakes gained a foothold in Everglades National Park by the mid-1980s, according to the 2021 Florida Python Control plan, and quickly proliferated, threatening other key species in the ecosystem.
A 2012 study by the United States Geological Survey found the pythons had contributed to population declines of a half-dozen animals, including racoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, marsh rabbits and cottontail rabbits
The United States Geological Survey puts the Burmese python population in the Everglades in the tens of thousands.
Pythons have migrated north from the park, and researches believe they may be able to survive as far north as Georgia if temperatures continue to warm and the snakes burrow during cold snaps.
What else is Florida doing to control the python population?
State officials trying to mitigate the python population have turned to many strategies – with varying degrees of success.
Renowned snake hunters from the Irula tribe in India were brought in to hunt and share their skills. People have used near-infrared cameras for python detection and specially designed traps. Some pythons are tracked by the DNA they shed in water.
The annual Florida Python Challenge has also gained legendary status, attracting hundreds of hunters each year vying for the $10,000 grand prize. The 10-day challenge was developed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to remove the pythons from state land. This year's challenge runs through July 20.
Starting in 2017, the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also began paying 100 bounty hunters hourly wages and bonuses based on the length of the snake caught.
The hunters have removed an estimated 15,800 snakes since 2019 and were called the 'most effective management strategy in the history of the issue' by district invasive animal biologist Mike Kirkland.
Kirkland oversees the district's hunters. Kirkland oversees the district's hunters and is involved in other python removal projects, including the robo-bunny experiment.
'It's projects like (McCleery's) that can be used in areas of important ecological significance where we can entice the pythons to come out of their hiding places and come to us,' Kirkland said at the board meeting. 'It could be a bit of a game changer.'
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McCleery said he's pleased state officials are willing to experiment.
'Our partners have allowed us to trial these things that may sound a little crazy,' McCleery said. 'Working in the Everglades for 10 years, you get tired of documenting the problem. You want to address it.'
McCleery said researchers did not name the robot rabbits, although he did bring one home that needed repair. His son named it 'Bunbun.'
Contributing: Kim Luciani and Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY Network
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Army of robot rabbits deployed in fight against Florida pythons
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