Home range, habitat use, and movement patterns of non-native Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA

Non-native Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) in Everglades National Park exhibit low site fidelity and expansive home ranges averaging 22.5 km², with core-use areas concentrated in slough and coastal habitats, particularly around tree islands and roads. These findings, derived from radio-tracking 19 adult pythons over 5,265 days (VHF and GPS tags), suggest that surface water presence correlates with long-distance movements during both wet and dry seasons. The study identifies 18 common-use areas where python activity overlaps, highlighting potential hotspots for targeted control efforts to mitigate impacts on native fauna.

Hart, K. M., Cherkiss, M. S., Smith, B. J., Mazzotti, F. J., Fujisaki, I., Snow, R. W., & Dorcas, M. E. (2015). Home range, habitat use, and movement patterns of non-native Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. Animal Biotelemetry, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-015-0022-2