How to improve invasive python removal

Wildlife professionals and Florida residents have been working hard to remove invasive Burmese pythons that compete with native wildlife for food and habitat. But researchers recently uncovered some ways to make surveys and removals of the snakes more efficient. In a study published in Scientific Reports, scientists compiled data that Burmese python (Python bivittatus) contractors to reveal some patterns. They found that python removals could likely be increased in two regions: the western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve and a stormwater treatment area in Palm Beach County. They also found that surveys were more successful from May to October and that a drop in barometric pressure the previous day increases the success of surveys. In addition, survey periods between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. worked best, and boats helped with survey effectiveness. “Pythons disrupt food webs, altering predator-prey dynamics and reducing populations of key native species. By refining removal strategies, we’re working to give native wildlife a chance to adapt and persist,” said Alex Romer, a quantitative ecologist at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and corresponding author on the paper.

Read the study in Scientific Reports.