It's time to hunt. Registration opened Thursday for the 2025 Florida Python Challenge, an opportunity for professionals and novices to capture the Burmese python, Florida's invasive apex predator, in the Everglades ecosystem.
The event, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District, will run from July 11 to July 20. Hunters can remove the snake from seven commission-managed lands, and added this year, Everglades National Park.
The registered participant who removes the most Burmese pythons will receive the grand prize of $10,000. Other prizes will also be awarded, including $2,500 for the most catches in the professional and novice categories.
You can register by clicking here.
Burmese pythons are invasive to Florida and do not belong in its environment. The snake first appeared in South Florida around 1979 and grew in numbers after being accidentally or intentionally released through the pet trade throughout the 1980s.
Specifically, as many as 100,000 pythons were imported to the United States, largely to Florida, between 1996 and 2006 alone. Overall, the population is known to be as much as 300,000.
Adult Burmese pythons generally grow between 6 and 9 feet long, but some can grow over 20 feet and weigh more than 200 pounds. Due to their size, the snake has few natural predators, making their removal from Florida's environment even more important.
They eat a variety of small mammals, birds, and reptiles, including large alligators.
The python is native to Asia, including India, China, and Indonesia. Like most reptiles, pythons are cold-blooded, making the warm weather climate of South Florida particularly habitable for their growth.
Most pythons in Florida are found south of Lake Okeechobee, with 1000s removed from Monroe, Miami-Dade, and Collier counties. However, hot spots are being detected in other parts of the state, including western areas of Palm Beach County.
