Burmese pythons are vanishing from Florida, and scientists now know what’s hunting them. For years, the invasive snakes dominated the Everglades, swallowing native wildlife and evading every control effort.
For seven years, ecologist Elena Marsh conducted python population surveys in Big Cypress National Preserve under a contract with the University of Florida. She used a consistent methodology and tracking network, and observed stable or increasing python presence across her monitored areas. Over four consecutive field seasons, however, three specific zones in the Fakahatchee Strand management unit…