Florida tracked 142 pythons 20 years; all four lost trackers from gravid females

PC: Case report: observations on expulsionsfrom 20 years of radiotransmitter implantationin adult Burmese pythons Scientists tracking invasive Burmese pythons in southern Florida recorded four cases of implanted tracking devices being expelled during a study spanning 2005 to 2024. The study examined 305 transmitters implanted in 142 adult snakes across Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. According to the report published in the Journal of Animal Biotelemetry, titled ‘Case report: observations on expulsions from 20 years of radiotransmitter implantation in adult Burmese pythons’, the research found that all four expulsions involved gravid females with intramuscularly implanted transmitters. No transmitter-related deaths were observed. The researchers also examined whether reproduction and implantation methods could influence device retention, noting that both surgical techniques were effective for monitoring adult pythons.How many Burmese python tracking devices were expelled in FloridaOf the 305 transmitters implanted during the study, 221 were placed intramuscularly, while 84 were positioned inside the coelomic cavity. The researchers reported that four tra...