Eric Suarez, research program coordinator for University of Florida Croc Docs, holds a female python during a research trip to collect python eggs on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, from a nest the scientists have been tracking in the Everglades outside of Weston.

Hunters working across the Florida Everglades removed a record four tons of invasive Burmese pythons in a single coordinated effort, a haul that reflects both the staggering scale of the infestation and the expanding reach of state and federal removal programs.

The annual Florida Python Challenge is only a few weeks away, but participants will have trouble matching a new record set earlier this month. Between November 2025 and April 2026, researchers removed 177 apex predators weighing a combined 8,