Three people handling a python

Ian Bartoszek (far right) and his team catch a 215-pound Burmese python in Florida.

Conservancy of Southwest Florida

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Python Patrol

Scientists recently caught the biggest Burmese python ever found in the U.S. But their work is far from over. 

September 5, 2022
By Jasmine Ting

As You Read, Think About: How are Burmese pythons affecting the Everglades? 

Scientists had been tracking the male Burmese python for months. The huge snake, nicknamed Dion, slithered through the tall, thick grass of a forest near Everglades National Park in Florida. Experts hoped Dion would lead them to other pythons they could capture.

Last December, Dion was spending a lot of time in a remote part of the forest. Wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek and his team from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida wanted to find out why. 

They used long knives called machetes to cut their way through tangled vines and thick brush. When they finally found Dion, they spotted a massive female python lurking in the bushes nearby!  

As the three researchers tried to catch the snake, she whipped her thick tail and tried to escape. After about 15 minutes of wrestling, she finally tired out. Next came the hardest part: carrying the 18-foot-long python to their truck. 

Back at their lab, the researchers put the giant snake on a scale and found that she weighed a whopping 215 pounds! The reptile is the largest Burmese python ever caught in Florida. 

But the snake’s record-setting size isn’t cause for celebration. For decades, Burmese pythons have been a threat to the Everglades ecosystem. That’s because these snakes are an invasive species—an animal or a plant that is introduced to an area and harms native species. 

Scientists had been tracking the male Burmese python for months. The huge snake slithered through the tall, thick grass of a forest near Everglades National Park in Florida. His nickname is Dion. Experts hoped Dion would lead them to other pythons they could capture.

Last December, Dion was spending a lot of time in a remote part of the forest. Ian Bartoszek is a wildlife biologist from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. He and his team wanted to find out why Dion was there.

They had long knives called machetes. They used them to cut through tangled vines and thick brush. 

They finally found Dion. But they also spotted a massive female python lurking in the bushes nearby!

The three researchers tried to catch the big snake. She whipped her thick tail and tried to escape. After about 15 minutes of wrestling, she finally tired out. Next came the hardest part. The team had to carry the 18-foot-long python to their truck.

Back at their lab, the researchers put the giant snake on a scale. They found that she weighed a whopping 215 pounds! The reptile is the largest Burmese python ever caught in Florida.

But the snake’s record-setting size isn’t cause for celebration. For decades, Burmese pythons have been a threat to the Everglades ecosystem. These snakes are an invasive species. That’s an animal or a plant that is introduced to an area and harms native species. 

Pythons in Florida

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Pythons in Florida

Jim McMahon/Mapman®

Predator Problems

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia. They were first seen in the wild in Florida in 1979. Scientists think those pythons were pets that escaped or were released by their owners when they got too big.  

Adult Burmese pythons have few predators in the Everglades to keep their numbers in check. And they feast on nearly every animal, which has upset the food chain in the area. One study found that pythons have eaten 24 types of mammals, 47 kinds of birds, and even two species of reptiles. They kill by wrapping their bodies tightly around their prey until the victim’s bones break. Then they swallow the animal whole. 

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia. They were first seen in the wild in Florida in 1979. Scientists think those pythons had been pets. The snakes may have escaped or have been released by their owners when they got too big. 

Adult Burmese pythons have few predators in the Everglades. So the number of pythons grows quickly. And they feast on nearly every animal. This has upset the food chain in the area. One study found that pythons have eaten 24 types of mammals. Pythons have also eaten 47 kinds of birds and even two species of reptiles. They kill by wrapping their bodies tightly around their prey. They squeeze until the victim’s bones break. Then they swallow the animal whole. 

Conservancy of Southwest Florida

Female Burmese pythons can lay up to 100 eggs at a time. 

Stop These Snakes!

Lawmakers have tried to solve the Burmese python problem. Since 2012, it has been illegal to import the snakes into the U.S. Also, Florida has banned residents from keeping them as pets.  

Still, the python population in the wild is out of control. Experts say hundreds of thousands of them could be slithering through the Everglades today. Despite their size, pythons are difficult to find. Their scaly, spotted skin is perfect camouflage. 

“They may be hiding in some thick grass at your feet, and you’d never know they were there,” says Bartoszek. “They’re very good at staying out of sight.”

From 2017 to 2020, wildlife officials in Florida caught more than 5,000 pythons. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida focuses on capturing female snakes before they have a chance to lay eggs each season. One of the most successful methods is putting trackers in male pythons, like Dion. The trackers send out signals that help scientists follow the snakes’ locations—and often lead them to large females. 

Bartoszek says the chances of eliminating all Burmese pythons from the Everglades are slim. But he’s not giving up. He is hopeful that scientists will develop new technology and methods that could help their efforts.

“It’s not over till it’s over,” Bartoszek says.

Lawmakers have tried to solve the Burmese python problem. Since 2012, it has been illegal to import the snakes into the U.S. Also, Florida has banned residents from keeping them as pets.  

Still, the python population in the wild is out of control. Experts say there could be hundreds of thousands of them in the Everglades today. Despite their size, pythons are difficult to find. Their scaly, spotted skin is perfect camouflage.

“They may be hiding in some thick grass at your feet, and you’d never know they were there,” says Bartoszek. “They’re very good at staying out of sight.”

From 2017 to 2020, wildlife officials in Florida caught more than 5,000 pythons. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida focuses on capturing female snakes. It wants to catch the snakes before they lay eggs each season. One of the most successful methods is putting trackers in male pythons, like Dion. The trackers send out signals. The signals help scientists follow the snakes’ locations. The male snakes often lead them to large females.

Bartoszek says the chances of eliminating all Burmese pythons from the Everglades are slim. But he’s not giving up. He is hopeful that scientists will develop new technology and methods that could help their efforts.

“It’s not over till it’s over,” Bartoszek says.

What You Need to Know About the Everglades

  • Everglades National Park covers 1.5 million acres. That’s bigger than a million football fields. Most of the park is wetlands covered in a tall grasslike plant called saw grass.
  • Native Americans who first lived in the area called it “Pa-Hay-Okee,” which means “grassy waters.” European explorers later came up with the name Everglades. They combined the words forever and glade, which is a grassy open space. 
  • The park is known for its huge variety of wildlife. It’s the only place in the U.S. where both alligators (below) and crocodiles live.
Shutterstock.com

What You Need to Know About the Everglades

  • Everglades National Park covers 1.5 million acres. That’s bigger than a million football fields. Most of the park is wetlands covered in a tall grasslike plant called saw grass.
  • Native Americans who first lived in the area called it “Pa-Hay-Okee,” which means “grassy waters.” European explorers later came up with the name Everglades. They combined the words forever and glade, which is a grassy open space. 
  • The park is known for its huge variety of wildlife. It’s the only place in the U.S. where both alligators (below) and crocodiles live.
Shutterstock.com
  1. Why are Burmese pythons considered an invasive species in Florida?
  2. Why does the author note that adult Burmese pythons have few natural predators in the Everglades?
  3. Why are Burmese pythons hard to find in the Everglades, according to the article?
  1. Why are Burmese pythons considered an invasive species in Florida?
  2. Why does the author note that adult Burmese pythons have few natural predators in the Everglades?
  3. Why are Burmese pythons hard to find in the Everglades, according to the article?
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