Mammalian scent lures fail to increase detections of invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus)

Management of Biological Invasions
By: , and 

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Abstract

Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are large constricting snakes native to Southeast Asia that have invaded the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in South Florida, USA. Pythons have caused precipitous declines in native mammals and are exceedingly difficult to detect using traditional methods such as scout snakes, detection dogs, and visual surveys. Live mammal lures have previously been used to attract pythons, with rabbits outperforming rodents in increasing detection. While live mammal lures can increase python detection and identify hotspots of python activity, ensuring animal welfare and logistical challenges limit their utility. As part of this study, field experiments were conducted to determine if mammalian lures, derived from rabbits (feces, urine, and hair) could replace live mammals and increase the detection of pythons. We ran trials for 84 days from June to September 2022 for 21 paired plots across three study sites in the Greater Everglades. We monitored two groups, the treatment (i.e., rabbit scent) and control (i.e., soil) with camera traps on a 1-minute time lapse. We detected 11 pythons during our study, but there was no difference between controls with soil (n = 7) and treatments (n = 4). However, we did find that scent lures increased native snake detection. This pattern was best explained by an increased number of rodents at the scent lures. Our experiment indicates that mammalian scent lures alone are insufficient to attract pythons. Since live mammals can attract pythons, but scent lures cannot, future studies could examine if a multi-faceted lure combining several stimuli (i.e., heat, visual, movement) might increase python detection. 

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Mammalian scent lures fail to increase detections of invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus)
Series title Management of Biological Invasions
DOI 10.3391/mbi.2025.16.4.14
Volume 16
Issue 4
Publication Date August 11, 2025
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre
Contributing office(s) Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Description 13 p.
First page 1147
Last page 1159
Country United States
State Florida
Other Geospatial Greater Everglades area
Additional publication details