Python hot spot discovered in Palm Beach County: 5 things to know on invasive snake
Burmese pythons have been a persistent problem in Florida for years, significantly disrupting the local ecosystem. These invasive snakes have few natural predators, allowing their population to grow rapidly.
The issue has become so widespread that people have turned to python hunting as a job. One of the most notable events is the annual Burmese Python Challenge, where participants compete for a grand prize by capturing as many pythons as possible. With the population of these snakes continuing to rise, the need for effective hunting strategies has never been greater.
Recently, the University of Florida discovered a new hotspot for python activity in South Florida during a study to pinpoint the best times and seasons for hunting.
Here's everything you need to know for capturing these invasive species.
More: Python 'hot spot' identified in Palm Beach County by University of Florida study
The study found a handful of known hot spots in South Florida where hunters were able to catch a lot of pythons. Those include areas near the edges of Everglades National Park, and south of Biscayne National Park.
But hot spots that could provide ample prey for more hunters were discovered at the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County and stormwater treatment area 3-4, which is about 24 miles south of Belle Glade and adjacent to the Holey Land Wildlife Management Area.
The best time to hunt pythons is between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. during the wet season from May to October, with the highest catches in August.
Since 2006, 69 pythons have been captured in Palm Beach County, according to the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS). Additionally, four pythons have been found dead, and 24 sightings have been reported.
The Burmese python invasion in Florida began with the release of captive snakes, either intentional or accidental. By the mid-1980s, these snakes had likely established a presence in Everglades National Park, according to the 2021 Florida Python Control Plan.
Yes, people are paid to hunt pythons. While the standard hourly rate for South Florida Water Management District hunters is $13, an incentive pay of $30 per hour is offered in certain areas, such as the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, to attract hunters to locations with fewer snakes. In stormwater treatment areas, the pay is $18 per hour.
Burmese pythons, an invasive species in Florida, are expected to remain a problem for the foreseeable future. Despite increasing efforts, no current methods can fully eradicate the population, but researchers continue to explore new strategies to manage their impact.
More: Grand prize winner of 2024 Florida Python Challenge announced
The winner of the 2024 Python Challenge was Ronald Kiger of Marion County, who captured 20 Burmese pythons and took home the $10,000 grand prize.
Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Burmese pythons: New hunting hotspot found by University of Florida
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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
These Snake Trackers Have Removed More than 20 Tons of Invasive Pythons from Florida… and They're Just Getting Started
A conservation group in South Florida that's working to reign in the state's Burmese python problem announced a new milestone in those efforts Monday. After more than a decade of intensive efforts, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida says its team of scientists and trackers has caught, killed, and removed more than 40,000 pounds of the giant, invasive snakes from a roughly 200-square-mile area near Naples. That's over 20 tons worth of Burmese pythons, which rank at the very top of Florida's least wanted list of invasive species. Stretching up to 18 feet long, these cold-blooded killers from Southeast Asia have no real natural predators in Florida, and they can they can swallow animals as large as (or even larger than) they are — in other words, pretty much everything that lives in the Everglades. From woodrats and marsh rabbits to gators and full-grown whitetails, these huge snakes are literally eating their way through the native food web. Read Next: Largest Python Ever Captured in Florida Is Nearly 18 Feet Long 'The list of species [being impacted by these snakes] is up to around 85,' Ian Bartoszek, a wildlife biologist and the Conservancy's science coordinator, told Outdoor Life last week, a few days before the organization's Monday announcement. 'It's easier to make a list of what pythons are not eating, than it is to list all the animals that have been found inside pythons to date.' This is precisely where python removal programs come into play. And while studying and researching the reptiles is part of the Conservancy's wider focus, the main goal of its python program is to remove as many snakes from the landscape as possible. Led by Bartoszek and his research partner, Conservancy biologist Ian Easterling, the team has been tracking down pythons amid the dense forests and swamps of the Everglades since 2013. Bartoszek's team of biologists aren't the only ones doing this conservation work. There are several licensed python trackers that get paid for the snakes they remove, and the state invites everyday snake hunters to compete in the highly-publicized Python Challenge each year. But the trackers at the Conservancy are arguably the most effective and efficient removal team in the region because of their science-based approach to finding Burmese pythons, which — despite their size — are uncannily good at hiding. By taking male pythons and fitting them with trackers, Bartoszek's team lets the snakes do most of the seeking. During breeding season, which runs from November through April, the team uses radio telemetry equipment to follow these male 'scout snakes' as they seek out receptive females. The team currently has around 40 scout snakes in its program, and they've helped catch some of the biggest pythons ever recorded in the Florida Everglades. The scouts have also led the team to some major scientific discoveries, including the first-ever photographs of a Florida python swallowing a full-sized deer. 'I don't want to make it sound too melodramatic, but we do get connected to these animals,' Bartoszek says, referring to one scout snake, named Loki, that died after six years in the program. 'It happens when you stay on the tail of a creature for multiple years.' Utilizing their scouts this way, the team can target the biggest breeding females and remove them from the population, along with their eggs and/or hatchlings. The Conservancy says they've kept around 20,000 python eggs from hatching this way. This past winter was also their most productive removal season to date. According to Monday's announcement, the Conservancy took out roughly 6,300 pounds of python in a matter of months. That eye-popping figure is counterbalanced by the staggering and almost incomprehensible size of Florida's python problem. The snakes now inhabit more than a thousand square miles in the southern reaches of the Sunshine State — a region so vast and dense that wildlife managers can only warrant a guess as to the overall population of Burmese pythons there. (Current estimates by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are between 100,000 and 300,000 snakes.) In many ways it's an unwinnable battle, with python removal teams like Bartoszek's doing the best they can to hold the line — or in some cases, slowly push it back. Read Next: Florida Python Trackers Remove Two Giant Mating Balls in Record Day of Snake Hunting 'People tend to ask, 'Are we making a dent?' And I would say yes,' Bartoszek says. 'Especially in those areas where we've had the scout method underway for over a decade. Those [males] are ranging further afield and finding fewer females, and the ones that they do find are typically smaller size classes … And we hope to see those similar patterns keep developing over the next couple years and into the future.'


Miami Herald
17 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Battle to eradicate invasive pythons in Florida achieves stunning milestone
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4 days ago
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