Burmese pythons spread beyond the Everglades as Florida's Python Challenge begins, offering $25,000 in prizes.

Burmese pythons have been spreading across southern Florida for more than four decades, consuming native mammals at rates that have reshaped entire ecosystems. U.S. Geological Survey occurrence records document the invasion’s geographic expansion from 1979 through 2021,

Burmese pythons are recognizable by more than their size. Hunters should be on the lookout for a telltale, arrow-shaped marking on the snake’s head, along with giraffe-like spots across its body and dark spots around its eyes. During the summer months, they’re most likely to be found sunning on levee banks or near trees.

Still, scientists no longer consider complete eradication realistic.

A Burmese python population has emerged in Southwest Florida, raising fresh concerns about the invasive predator's spread.

Hunters working across the Florida Everglades removed a record four tons of invasive Burmese pythons in a single coordinated effort, a haul that reflects both the staggering scale of the infestation and the expanding reach of state and federal removal programs.

Eric Suarez, research program coordinator for University of Florida Croc Docs, holds a female python during a research trip to collect python eggs on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from a nest the scientists have been tracking in the Everglades outside of Weston.