Using 40 radio‑tagged male "scout" pythons, Conservancy teams located breeding females and removed a record 177 Burmese pythons and 4,100 eggs from a 200‑square‑mile area of Collier County. The captured snakes weighed a combined 8,080 pounds; females averaged about 70 eggs and 95 pounds, with the largest at 17 feet and 153 pounds. Officials say removing breeding females helps prevent many future snakes and protects native wildlife from predation and competition.
Tagged 'Scout' Pythons Help Biologists Remove Record 177 Snakes and 4,100 Eggs From Everglades
Photo Credit: Conservancy of Southwest Florida
Biologists in South Florida finished the latest Everglades breeding season after using radio‑tagged male "scout" pythons to locate breeding females and remove a record number of Burmese pythons from a critical stretch of habitat.
From November 2025 through April 2026, crews from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida worked within a roughly 200‑square‑mile area of Collier County and removed 177 pythons with a combined weight of 8,080 pounds. Teams also collected 4,100 eggs before hatchlings could disperse into the landscape.
Researchers rely on radio telemetry and a cohort of 40 tagged male pythons—called "scout snakes"—to lead them to nesting females prior to egg laying. The females taken this season averaged about 70 eggs each and about 95 pounds in body weight; the largest measured 17 feet and weighed 153 pounds.
These Burmese pythons are an invasive species in Florida. In the Everglades they face virtually no natural predators, which allows populations to expand unchecked and compete with native wildlife for food and habitat. The Conservancy reported that roughly one in four removed females contained white‑tailed deer remains, underscoring the snakes' impact on native mammals.
Officials note that removing a single breeding female can prevent dozens of future snakes from entering the ecosystem, because each female produces many offspring. The removals this season represent the program's largest single‑season python biomass total since 2013 in the targeted area.
"Without the Conservancy's continued removal efforts, these invasive predators would still be out there decimating native wildlife and reproducing across the landscape," said Rob Moher, president and CEO of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.
"No organization has done this much heavy lifting and boots‑on‑the‑ground research and removal to address the threat of Burmese pythons in Southwest Florida," he added.
The Conservancy asks community members to report Burmese python sightings in Collier County by calling 1‑888‑Ive‑Got‑1 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Residents should call 911 for after‑hours emergencies involving public safety.
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