Burmese Python Program Highlighted in National Geographic

Conservancy of Southwest Florida researchers stunned the world in a June article from National Geographic , which highlighted the most massive Burmese python ever documented in Florida.

The invasive animal weighed 215 pounds and measured nearly 18 feet. But it was only when this python was back at the lab that our team realized it carried a second record-breaking statistic.

The team found the snake within the Picayune Strand State Forest using its nationally recognized research program, which uses radio transmitters implanted in male “scout” snakes to understand python movements, breeding behaviors, and habitat use. Scout snakes can lead biologists to breeding aggregations and large, reproductive females, allowing researchers to remove breeding females and their developing eggs from the wild.

“The removal of female pythons plays a critical role in disrupting the breeding cycle of these apex predators that are wreaking havoc on the Everglades ecosystem and taking food sources from other native species,” said wildlife biologist Ian Bartoszek. “This is the wildlife issue of our time for southern Florida.” pounds pounds pounds pounds pounds

Once back in the lab, the second recordbreaking discovery was uncovered. During the necropsy, researchers found 122 developing eggs within the snake’s abdomen.

This finding sets a new limit for the highest number of eggs a female python can potentially produce in a breeding cycle. Furthermore, an assessment of the snake’s digestive contents found hoof cores, determining an adult whitetailed deer to be the snake’s last meal.

To date, the Conservancy has removed more than 1,000 pythons weighing in excess of 26,152 pounds from an area in Collier County of less than 100 square miles.

The State of Mangroves

Cane Toad Program Wraps Up

Hurricane Irma roared through Collier County in 2017 decimating mangrove forests, but in 2022, Hurricane Ian did not impact mangroves as severely.

Miles of mangroves in Lee and Collier counties weathered the storm surge from Ian better than developed coastal areas that were devasted. We continue to monitor the mangroves in Clam Bay and Fruit Farm Creek to get a closer look at these ecosystems and evaluate any delayed effects from the storm.

Conservancy biologists wrapped up a three-year initiative to research cane toads in Southwest Florida using radio-tracking, trap/lure design testing and diet analysis. It was some of the first scientific data gathered on cane toads in our region and researchers gained insight into cane toad movements, habitat utilization, and effects on native wildlife. The project has produced five scientific publications, with a final publication focusing on the diet of cane toads from two golf course communities in Naples, currently in draft. Over the span of the study, the stomach contents from 239 cane toads was examined and more than 13,691 prey items in 180 taxonomic categories were discovered.

Stomach contents of 239 cane toads studied