8,080 pounds of invasive Burmese pythons removed in SWFL, breaks record

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has announced its Burmese python research and removal season results, beating its previous year's total by nearly 2,000 pounds.

On Wednesday, the conservancy released an update stating that its biologists removed an impressive 177 invasive pythons, weighing a combined 8,080 pounds. 

For reference, in 2025, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida removed 6,300 pounds of invasive Burmese pythons throughout its hunting season. In addition, last year’s removal marked a milestone achievement for the conservancy of more than 20 tons of Burmese pythons from a 200-square-mile area in Southwest Florida since 2013.

Biologists monitor the Burmese python during its mating season from November 2025 to April 2026, recording changes throughout the season as they conduct population control, since the invasive species is harmful to the Florida ecosystem.

Biologists can partially thank the record-breaking successful season to the use of radio telemetry and 40 tagged male pythons known as scout snakes.

During the breeding season, the scouts captured mating males with female pythons before the females could lay eggs. 

“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,” said Ian Bartoszek, Wildlife Biologist and Conservancy Science Project Manager, who pioneered the nonprofit's python program. “These science-based management efforts are suppressing local python reproduction. With continued pressure, we hope to see these removal numbers decline over time.”

In the press release, the conservancy noted the average weight of removed female pythons was 95 pounds, with the largest female captured this season weighing 153 pounds and measuring 17 feet long. On average, female pythons carried around 70 eggs, with a quarter of them containing the remains of white-tailed deer.  

For the 2026 season alone, the team removed an additional 4,100 Burmese python eggs from the ecosystem. 

The conservancy shared its total statistics since it began its research and removal efforts. Since 2013, the Conservancy’s python research and removal program has removed 1,750 pythons weighing more than 53,000 pounds from Southwest Florida.

Every year, the State of Florida holds the "Florida Python Challenge," a python removal competition aimed at maintaining the Florida Everglades ecosystem. The 2026 Florida Python Challenge will take place from July 10 through July 19.

For more information, click here.