Florida scientists are using opossums to secretly track invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades-and it's working.

Here's what we know about the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, how the yearly hunt works and a little bit about last year's winner.

Contractors with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Thomas Aycock, left, and Tom Rahill, founder of the Swamp Apes, a veterans therapy nonprofit, show off an invasive Burmese python caught earlier, as they wait for sunset to hunt pythons, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, in the Florida Everglades. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Scientists found a shocking way to track Florida's invasive pythons: let the snakes swallow GPS-collared opossums.

Are Florida's invasive Burmese pythons are more active in warmer months? Signs show signs of cold tolerance, potentially spreading north.

Some of Florida’s opossums may soon start dying for a noble cause. A few select marsupials fitted with tracking collars may begin to lead scientists to invasive Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) slithering through the Everglades.