Florida’s war on invasive Burmese pythons just got a high-tech twist: robotic rabbits.
Scattered among cypress and sawgrass in South Florida are 40 mechanical lures designed to mimic one of the python’s favorite meals, the marsh rabbit. Outfitted with tiny heaters and motors, the solar-powered decoys spin, shake, and radiate body heat to replicate the movements and temperature of a real rabbit. Some even emit scent to seal the illusion.
The project, funded by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and led by University of Florida researchers, aims to lure pythons out of hiding so they can be removed from the ecosystem. Cameras attached to the pens detect motion and alert officials when a python nears the decoy.
It’s projects like this that can entice pythons to come out of their hiding places and come to us. It could be a game changer.
said Mike Kirkland, lead invasive animal biologist at SFWMD.
UF professor Robert McCleery has studied python behavior for more than a decade. Early research showed that pythons are strongly attracted to live rabbits, but using real animals across the Everglades proved costly and impractical.
We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off. But I’m an ecologist, not someone who sits around making robots.
said Robert McCleery, professor of wildlife ecology and conservation at University of Florida.
Enter colleague Chris Dutton, who retrofitted stuffed toy rabbits with more than 30 electronic components, creating remote controlled decoys that can withstand Everglades conditions. One challenge: waterproofing the bunnies while maintaining the correct heat signature.
The robotic rabbits were deployed in July for a test phase at undisclosed python hot spots. If successful, researchers plan to scale up the technology.
The innovation comes on the heels of the 2025 Florida Python Challenge™, which wrapped up July 20 with nearly 800 participants from 29 states and Canada competing to remove invasive snakes. Since 2019, contracted hunters have captured an estimated 15,800 pythons, but officials say the problem persists and the snakes are moving north.
Invasive pythons are devastating native wildlife populations. Every python removed helps restore balance to the Everglades ecosystem.
SFWMD said in a statement.
For more on python removal efforts, visit SFWMD.gov/PythonProgram.