Record-Breaking Removal of Invasive Burmese Pythons in Southwest Florida

Introduced Burmese pythons are considered one of the greatest threats to the Everglades ecosystem, preying on mammals, birds, and other native fauna. Females can lay 50–100 eggs annually; mating occurs Dec–Apr, nesting in late spring, and hatching July–Aug.

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The Conservancy of Southwest Florida runs the python research and removal program (since 2013). Ian Bartoszek, Wildlife Biologist and Project Manager, leads the tracking team; Rob Moher is President and CEO. Forty radio-tagged male “scout snakes” locate breeding females, and volunteers assist in field captures.

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During the 2025-2026 breeding season (Nov 2025–Apr 2026) across a 200-square-mile area in Collier County, 177 pythons were captured, weighing 8,080 lb (?4 tons). The effort spanned the entire breeding season from November through April. Females averaged 95 lb; the largest was 17 ft, 153 lb. Each female held ~70 eggs; 1 in 4 contained white-tailed deer remains. Over 4,100 eggs were removed. Since 2013, 1,750 pythons (>53,000 lb) have been extracted.

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Capturing breeding females before egg laying reduces local reproduction, lowering predation on native species such as mammals and birds. The removal of biomass and eggs directly eases pressure on the ecosystem, and staff expect sustained effort to curtail future python numbers and improve wildlife survival rates.

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The Conservancy’s website called the season the highest single-season biomass removal since the program began. Bartoszek highlighted scout snakes as essential for locating large breeders and expressed optimism that ongoing removal will suppress reproduction. Moher warned that without continued effort, pythons would keep decimating wildlife and stressed the organization’s unique role in intensive research and field removal.

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• “This marks the greatest biomass of invasive Burmese pythons removed in a single season by the Conservancy’s python tracking team and volunteers since the program began” — Conservancy of Southwest Florida (website)

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• “This was our first four-ton removal season. Our tagged scout snakes helped us locate large breeding snakes deep in the landscape before they had a chance to lay eggs,” — Ian Bartoszek, Wildlife Biologist and Conservancy Science Project Manager

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• “With consistent pressure, we hope to see these removal numbers decline over time,” — Ian Bartoszek

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• “Without the Conservancy’s continued removal efforts, these invasive predators would still be out there decimating native wildlife and reproducing across the landscape,” — Rob Moher, President and CEO, Conservancy of Southwest Florida

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The organization expressed hope that continued removal pressure will lower python reproduction, protect the Everglades, and support recovery of native wildlife populations.

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All figures and statements across the two source excerpts are consistent; no contradictory data or missing information were identified.

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