Biologists Are Using Florida Opossums as Low-Tech Trackers to Hunt the State's Invasive Burmese Pythons
Published on April 23, 2026.
Biologists from the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge are using opossums with tracking collars to locate and remove the state's invasive Burmese pythons. Each collar is fitted with a mortality signal, which alerts researchers if an opossum dies, usually leading to a large predator. The method was developed after scientists noticed collars were going missing from their collars, leading them to find them inside large pythans. Since then, the team has refined their approach, with collars now costing $190 and lasting up to two years. Researchers currently have over 32 collared opossars in the field and hope to increase this number to 40 by the summer peak.
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