How to win a $10,000 grand prize for Florida python hunting

Burmese Python in the Everglades – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Heiko Kiera This summer, competitors in a Florida python tournament have the potential to take home a portion of over $30,000 in prizes. However, individuals who are afraid of snakes should certainly pass on this.  The Florida Python Challenge registration period for 2023 began

Florida teen wins the top prize after catching 28 pythons during annual challenge

Burmese Pythons in the Everglades, FL – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Heiko Kiera A 19-year-old man from the Sunshine State accomplished a great feat by capturing 28 Burmese pythons during a 10-day competition created to spread awareness about the serious threat invasive snakes pose on state ecology. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife

Giant invasive Burmese pythons are slithering their way up Florida

Burmese Pythons — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Heiko Kiera Following several years of close speculation, invasive Burmese pythons have been spotted making their way up north in Florida. “We have finally, unhappily, sighted a Burmese python in the interior of the refuge,” University of Florida wildlife professor Frank Mazzotti, who heads Fort Lauderdale’s Croc Docs research team,

Florida has a Coyote problem, and it’s only getting worse

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay Florida is known for its diverse wildlife—most of which is constrained to the confines of the Everglades. But just because we can’t see what’s out there, doesn’t mean we don’t know it exists. Thanks to documentaries, wildlife photographers, and preservation teams, Florida’s wildlife is well documented and preserved enough to

Florida invasive species battle continues as FWC bans “high-risk” reptiles from commercial breeding and pet ownership

Green Iguana – Courtesy: Image by Scottslm from Pixabay In a unanimous vote Thursday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted on a new set of rules that would ban the commercial breeding practice and ownership of 16 “high-risk” reptiles in the state. The rule would allow current high-risk reptile owners to keep the

South American “River Monster” found along Caloosahatchee River

Courtesy: Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute Florida has dinosaur-like gators, invasive lizards, record-breaking Burmese Pythons, and just about anything else you can think of in its diverse ecological system. As if that weren’t enough to cause residents and tourists to worry when visiting their favorite state parks and attractions, there’s one more creature

Florida Invasive Species may soon be on the menu if scientists deem them safe to consume

Burmese Python. Photo: Vince Adam/Shutterstock.com A new, exotic dish may soon be on your local restaurant’s menu—if they are safe to eat. Florida has had problems with combating invasive species for years due largely in part to its favorable climate, lush ecosystem, and the exotic pet trade. But no species has wrecked the ecosystem nearly

Another invasive lizard species has landed in Florida: The red-headed butterfly eating, agama lizard

Peter’s Rock Agama spotted in Florida. Courtesy: Sean McKnight, UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology student. Florida is no stranger to invasive species of any kind: bugs, insects, reptiles, plants, you name it, we’ve got it.  Earlier this year, Florida had a new character on the block, the Argentine Black and White Tegu, but this time, it’s the

Burmese python caught in Everglades National Park breaks Florida record

Courtesy: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission A Burmese python caught in Everglades National Park has broken the previous length record by one inch. On Oct. 2., snake trappers Kevin Pavlidis and Ryan Ausburn captured the Florida record, 18 foot and 9 inch long Burmese python roughly 35 miles west of Miami along the L-28

Python Parasite is Wreaking Havoc on Florida’s Native Wildlife

Burmese python. Image by skeeze from Pixabay  A lung parasite is negatively affecting the Burmese python population of Florida as well as Florida’s native snakes and animals. New research out of the University of Florida shows the pythons spread a parasite also known as Raillietiella orientalis to Florida’s native snakes, and now the native snakes