# USGS tests drone tracking of radio-tagged Burmese pythons in the Everglades, 4.88 m snake released

- Published: 2026-11-05 20:52 UTC
- Section: Planet › Ecology & recycling
- Tags: Burmese python, Everglades, USGS, drone tracking, radio telemetry, scout snakes, invasive species, Florida, wildlife monitoring
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-ae3d88183a1a05b6219612d7_usgs_tests_drone/

**In September 2026 USGS biologists flew a small drone to pick up radio signals from a tagged 67 kg python. The method is still under evaluation.**

![USGS tests drone tracking of radio-tagged Burmese pythons in the Everglades, 4.88 m snake released](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/983af33224e2ff47.avif)
*Futura Sciences*

In September 2026, biologists of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) tested a small drone to locate a Burmese python released in the Florida Everglades, according to Futura Sciences. The snake, a female 4.88 m long and weighing 67 kg, had just been fitted with a radio tag. University of Florida interns released her while USGS staff flew the drone. [1] The agency also published preliminary findings from experiments combining radiotelemetry and light drones in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. [1]

## Scout snakes and the breeding season

The test belongs to the USGS "scout snake" programme. Selected males and females receive a surgically implanted radio transmitter and are tracked throughout the year, with particular attention to the breeding season. [1] Males gather around a receptive female, so a single signal can lead researchers to several animals. [1] In the 2019-2020 season the method removed 86 adult pythons, about 2,270 kg in total, including 53 breeding females carrying more than 2,500 developing eggs. [1]

The USGS has confirmed that Burmese pythons eat protected native species, among them the Key Largo woodrat (federally listed as threatened), the wood stork, the limpkin and the round-tailed muskrat. [1]

## What the drone is meant to do

Finding the snakes remains laborious: researchers walk through wet prairies and dense vegetation to pick up radio signals. [1] The test was meant to check whether an uncrewed aircraft (sUAS) can receive the signals from the air more efficiently than a ground team. [1] The drone can carry either a radio receiver to locate tags or a camera for visual surveillance. [1]

If the approach proves effective, it could lower operating costs, allow pythons to be located more often and reduce risk to field staff in hard-to-reach areas, according to the source. [1] For comparison, trained detection dogs are estimated to be 2.5 times more effective than humans alone, but their use depends on terrain and on qualified handlers. [1]

The USGS has not yet validated the approach. Evaluation continues in the complex habitats of Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. Both areas are covered by a geospatial dataset published in September 2026, which compiles the locations of pythons tracked between 2005 and 2026. [1]

## Sources

1. [Futura Sciences](https://www.futura-sciences.com/planete/actualites/serpent-python-pres-5-metres-relache-expres-everglades-scientifiques-comptent-lui-k2m6-139084)

---

Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-ae3d88183a1a05b6219612d7_usgs_tests_drone/