Python tacos? Python pizza? 'Chicken of the Glades?' Florida considered making invasive snakes a food source. Then science stepped in.

University of Florida researchers documented a surprising new threat to Burmese python eggs in the Everglades, adding to growing evidence that native wildlife is fighting back against the invasive species.

Catches like this can be a massive win toward slowing the spread of a problematic invasive species.

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.

Brandon Welty, a python researcher with Croc Docs, holds up an antenna and receiver to track where a male python during breeding season on March 11, 2026 in the interior of the northern Everglades. Ashley Miznazi [email protected]

Still, scientists no longer consider complete eradication realistic.

Florida researchers fitted GPS-collared opossums to track Burmese pythons from the inside — and the hidden biology of this tiny marsupial makes it the perfect secret weapon.

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.