The day has finally arrived. On July 10, hundreds of professional and amateur snake hunters entered the annual Florida Python Challenge<\/a>, a 10-day race to remove as many of the invasive animals<\/a> as possible from the Everglades. The person who bags the most snakes will earn a $10,000 first-place prize, while another $15,000 in payouts will go to various other categories, including for the longest snake captured.<\/p>\n Conservationists estimate between 100,000 and 300,000 Burmese pythons<\/a> (Python bivittatus) live across the state\u2019s subtropical regions, where they have thrived as apex predators since their accidental introduction into the wild during the 1970s. Pregnant females can lay upwards of 70 eggs at a time, and each hatchling can reach an adult length of 13-feet long. Despite their population explosion, only around five percent of all pythons are spotted by the average onlooker. That means only one in about 20 snakes are noticed on any given day.<\/p>\n Over 600 people registered to participate in this year\u2019s Florida Python Challenge as of July 7, according to Naples Daily News<\/a>. Last year saw more than 900 local and international competitors, and the largest snake<\/a> captured measured nearly 16 feet long. The annual event isn\u2019t a free-for-all, however. Every hunter must complete a safety course prior to scouring for snakes, and while guns are allowed on private land with owner\u2019s permission, all pythons must be euthanized as humanely as possible.<\/p>\n![\"Gloved](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/florida-python-hunt.jpg\")
The python hunt ends on July 19. Credit: Joe Raedel via Getty Images <\/p>\n
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