Florida researchers are scaling up a unique strategy to combat invasive Burmese pythons by fitting opossums with GPS collars. The animals, a common prey for the snakes, can lead scientists to pythons after being eaten, allowing for targeted removal.

Here's what we know about the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, how the yearly hunt works and a little bit about last year's winner.

After nearly five months of waiting, an alarm activated on Michael Cove’s radio, a sign his study was working. To hunt pythons, an invasive predator in the Florida Keys, Cove and fellow researchers have been strapping GPS collars to opossums and raccoons.

Wildlife researchers studying mammals in Key Largo have discovered a potentially groundbreaking — if not heartbreaking — way to locate and kill invasive Burmese pythons, especially the big ones. A team observing racoon and possum behavior along urban ...