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Giant Burmese python seen slithering in tall grass in Florida<\/p>\n
The invasive Burmese python is threatening the south Florida ecosystem. One challenge in controlling the population is finding the snake.<\/p>\n
And the Ultimate Grand Prize winner of the 2025 Florida Python Challenge<\/a> is …<\/p>\n Taylor Stanberry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stanberry, who was recognized at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting today (Aug. 13) in Havana (Gadsden County), elminated 60 Burmese pythons<\/a> during the 10-day competition that was held from July 10-20 this year.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>‘A long 10 days’: Florida Python Challenge winner captured 60 snakes and $10k. How she did it<\/a><\/p>\n She received the $10,000 grand prize for her accomplishment. Stanberry was introduced at the meeting by Sarah Funk, the FWC’s Nonnative Fish and Wildlife Program Coordinator.<\/p>\n According to the FWC, Stanberry eliminated 33 female pythons and 27 males. The longest snake she caught was just over 9 feet and weight about 16 pounds.<\/p>\n When she was called up to the podium to say a few words, the 4-foot-11-inch Stanberry needed help to adjust the microphone to her height.<\/p>\n “I don’t have much to say,” she said. “Thank you so much for the win and the money.”<\/p>\n According to Facebook, Stanberry and her husband, Rhett<\/a>, live in Naples. Rhett Stanberry has a Facebook page dedicated to snakes and hunting<\/a>.<\/p>\n They also have a YouTube Channel<\/a> and post content on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n A total of $25,000 in prize money was distributed to winners in three categories \u2212 professional, novice and military. The other winners were not announced at the meeting.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Video shows gator chomp on invasive python, swim away with it in its jaws<\/a><\/p>\n How many pythons were eliminated during the 2025 Florida Python Challenge?<\/p>\n Funk said 294 pythons were removed \u2013 the most of any python challenges so far. The Python Challenge started in 2013 to help raise awareness about the invasive species and to take a significant step in removing the snake that is negatively impacting the South Florida ecosystem.<\/p>\n “Every python removed is a win for the habitat,” Funk said.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>Florida python hunter describes python bite: ‘Like a mouthful of hypodermic needles’<\/a><\/p>\n How many hunters participated in the 2025 Florida Python Challenge?<\/p>\n This year’s competition started at 12:01 a.m. on July 11<\/a> at eight competition locations. There were 934 total registered participants this year coming from two countries (U.S. and Canada). That was up from 857 participants in 2025.<\/p>\n “And we had 30 states represented (including Florida),” Thompson said.<\/p>\n Who were the other 2025 Florida Python winners?<\/p>\n PROFESSIONAL<\/strong> WINNER<\/strong><\/p>\n PROFESSTIONAL RUNNER-UP<\/strong><\/p>\n LONGEST PYTHON PRIZE<\/strong><\/p>\n NOVICE<\/strong><\/p>\n Most Pythons Prize<\/strong><\/p>\n Most Pythons Runner-Up Prize\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Longest Python Prize<\/strong><\/p>\n MILITARY \u2013 Active Duty and Veteran <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Most Pythons Prize<\/strong><\/p>\n Most Pythons Runner-Up Prize<\/strong><\/p>\n Longest Python Prize<\/strong><\/p>\n Florida Python Challenge 2024 results. 195 pythons removed<\/p>\n Last year, according to FWC, 195 Burmese pythons were removed. Ronald Kiger (20 Burmese pythons removed) was the 2024 Grand Prize winner.<\/p>\n How serious is the python problem in Florida?<\/p>\n Burmese pythons have wrought destruction in the Florida Everglades. They’ve contributed to the decline of small mammals including raccoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, marsh rabbits and cottontail rabbits.<\/p>\n A recent study revealed that\u00a0Burmese pythons can eat prey much larger<\/a>\u00a0than previously reported. Scientists observed a Burmese python swallowing a 77-pound white-tailed deer, nearly 70 percent of the snake\u2019s mass.<\/p>\n What is the Florida Python Challenge?<\/p>\n The Florida Python Challenge is a ten-day competition encouraging participants to remove Burmese pythons from seven Commission-managed lands in South Florida.<\/p>\n According to FWC, the event is held to raise public awareness about invasive species in Florida, like Burmese pythons, that are a threat to the Everglades ecosystem.<\/p>\n Where was the 2025 Florida Python Challenge held?<\/p>\n The Florida Python Challenge took place at these eight competition locations:<\/p>\n Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Everglades National Park<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Frog Pond North Public Small Game Hunting Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Holey Land Wildlife Management Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Rocky Glades Public Small Game Hunting Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Burmese pythons in Florida must be humanely killed<\/p>\n If you catch a Burmese python in Florida, you must\u00a0humanely kill the snake<\/a>\u00a0where it was captured. Transporting live pythons is not allowed.<\/p>\n Two steps must be completed to kill a python humanely:<\/p>\n How many Burmese pythons are in Florida?<\/p>\n “Burmese pythons are hard to find due to their cryptic coloration and secretive behaviors, and their low detection probability is a major challenge to effective python control and research,” according to\u00a0Florida Fish and Wildlife<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, conservative estimates by the USGS put the\u00a0Burmese python population<\/a>\u00a0in the Florida Everglades region in the\u00a0tens of thousands<\/a>.<\/p>\n Can Burmese pythons ever be removed from Florida?<\/p>\n Because Burmese pythons are distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and across the southern coast, the\u00a0chances of completely eliminating the snake<\/a>\u00a0from Florida is low.<\/p>\n Controlling their numbers and preventing their spread out of the area are critical goals for conservation efforts and land managers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
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