Miami, Fla — Florida wildlife experts are deploying 40 robotic rabbit decoys into the Everglades to help eradicate the Burmese python problem. The robo-bunnies are equipped with a heat signature and scent to lure the snakes, allowing them to be trapped.
Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill is skeptical it will work. “These snakes use a lot of different senses to decide what is and what isn’t prey. It will depend on how much they’re actually able to replicate a real rabbit in these robots.”
Magill says snakes have a discerning palate. “ A snake is constantly flicking out its tongue. It has an organ in the roof of its mouth, and that tongue is depositing particles into that organ that tells the snake what it is.”
The remote-control robo-rabbits also feature cameras and were created by researchers at the University of Florida, and funded by the South Florida Water Management District, which also hosts the annual Florida Python Challenge.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, Burmese pythons are predators. A variety of species have been found in their stomach contents during necropsies, including a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles, and protected species such as the federally-designated threatened Wood Stork and the federally-designated endangered Key Largo Woodrat. Burmese pythons can consume meals equivalent to 100% of their body mass. These pythons can pose a threat to human safety and may also prey upon pets such as cats and dogs.
The Burmese python is one of the largest snakes in the world. The largest Burmese captured in Florida measured over 18 ft. in length. They are not Native to Florida and are considered an invasive species due to their impacts on native wildlife. Like all non-native reptile species, Burmese pythons are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws. This species can be captured and humanely killed year-round and without a permit or hunting license on 32 commissioned lands in South Florida.
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