Invasive Burmese pythons are a scourge upon South Florida. These massive snakes are one of the region’s most pernicious pests, posing a significant risk to local biodiversity as they chow down on native wildlife.
Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida through the exotic pet trade in the 1970s and are now among the state’s top predators. Researchers and conservationists have been working to wrangle the python problem through capture and kill programs but have faced significant challenges. These elusive snakes are masters of camouflage that thrive in semi-aquatic, densely vegetated environments like the Everglades, making it difficult to find them. Now, a team of wildlife ecologists at the University of Florida has developed a new method for luring them out of their hiding places: robo-bunnies.
Yes, you read that right. According to a UF statement, assistant professor and ecologist Chris Dutton ripped the stuffing out of 40 plush bunny toys and filled them with motors, heaters, and solar panels to make them mimic real marsh rabbit prey. The robo-bunnies are designed to trick pythons into thinking they’re the real deal—or should we say, the real meal. They look like rabbits, move like rabbits, and even exhibit a living rabbit’s body temperature.
“We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off,” said Dutton’s colleague Robert McCleery, a UF professor of wildlife ecology and conservation who is leading the project, according to The Palm Beach Post.
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