python

A 16-foot Burmese python weighing 147.9 pounds was released after radio-tagging in Florida; US scientists are now testing drones to track invasive snakes across the Everglades

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A 16-foot Burmese python weighing 147.9 pounds was released after radio-tagging in Florida; US scientists are now testing drones to track invasive snakes across the Everglades

Deep in the Florida Everglades, a vast and difficult landscape, scientists are trying a new way to find invasive Burmese pythons; they are looking from above. Researchers are testing small drones fitted with radio tracking equipment or cameras to locate snakes more efficiently, follow their movements across difficult terrain, and cut the cost of searching … Read more

Burmese python males undergo a dramatic seasonal hormone shift before breeding; scientists tracked testosterone and corticosterone in Florida snakes

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Burmese python males undergo a dramatic seasonal hormone shift before breeding; scientists tracked testosterone and corticosterone in Florida snakes

Burmese python coiled in the grass in the Everglades. Image Credit: Wikipedia Burmese python males in South Florida undergo a marked seasonal change in testosterone as the breeding period approaches, while another hormone linked to stress and energy use follows a less predictable pattern. A study published in General and Comparative Endocrinology tracked testosterone and … Read more

3-ft python in car, runaway pig, knife-wielding crab: 5 strange stories from US you missed

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3-ft python in car, runaway pig, knife-wielding crab: 5 strange stories from US you missed

Python found in New Jersey woman’s car (left); K-9 Wouter bitten by suspect in Southern California. From a crab apparently brandishing a blade to a man driving through a locked grocery store because he needed a bathroom, the US saw its share of bizarre incidents in the second half of September. Here are five unusual … Read more

Burmese python mothers can generate heat while guarding their eggs; scientists documented the behaviour in a wild Florida nest

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Burmese python mothers can generate heat while guarding their eggs; scientists documented the behaviour in a wild Florida nest

A Burmese python guarding a clutch of eggs may appear to be doing little more than lying tightly coiled around them. In fact, the female can play an active role in controlling the temperature inside the nest. When conditions become too cool, muscles along her body begin contracting rapidly, producing heat that raises her own … Read more

Florida’s python team followed 40 tagged male snakes and ended the season with 177 Burmese pythons removed and more than 4,100 eggs taken from the ecosystem

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Florida’s python team followed 40 tagged male snakes and ended the season with 177 Burmese pythons removed and more than 4,100 eggs taken from the ecosystem

A season of tracking Burmese pythons across the difficult terrain of southwest Florida ended with 177 snakes removed and more than 4,100 eggs taken out of the ecosystem. The work, carried out by the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and its python action team, covered about 200 square miles of Collier County between November 2025 and … Read more