The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has opened up the snakes found in Collier County, where they found the remains of larger animals like bobcats and deer.

Finding the snakes is the challenge, and researchers with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida focus a lot of attention on locating the pythons.

They use male Burmese pythons to find the females for removal.

If you find the females, you find the eggs.

Python researcher Ian Bartoszek says not finding them means the snakes could be populating near your neighborhood.

"They are on the urban fringe," said Bartoszek. "This isn't something we need to worry about. We don't need to be afraid of the python. We need to be aware of what they're doing in the environment."

Which is: eating their way up the food chain. Bartoszek says Burmese pythons invasion isn't just a Collier problem.

"Their population is increasing each year. We see data points that show up further and further north. It feels like they're making their way into Lee County."

In their path, they're disrupting the Southwest Florida ecosystem, feasting on wildlife that isn't necessarily small.

"We've seen everything from bobcats and a possum in the stomach of one python, to a fawn in a very small python," said Bartoszek.

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida wants you to know how to spot a Burmese python. Look for a giraffe-like pattern on the snakes and a spear-shaped pattern head.

A fair warning...the snakes will be big.

"Pythons know no boundaries," said Bartoszek. "So, the strategy is you have to get everyone on the same page if that's even possible to get after this."

The Conservancy of Southwest Florida can't be everywhere at once. So, if you spot a Burmese python in your backyard, you can download the Ivegot1 app.

You take a picture with the app and then upload it for FWC to see precisely where these Burmese pythons are.
