Robotic Rabbits Help Scientists Combat Invasive Pythons

To combat the environmental harm done to Florida's Everglades swamp ecosystem by invasive Burmese pythons, officials have tried many tactics. They’ve used infrared cameras. They’ve designed special traps. They’ve funded the $10,000 Florida Python Challenge, rewarding hunters for rounding up the serpents. The latest gambit?

Robo-bunnies.

The 40 fake rabbits are the invention of researchers at the University of Florida. They hollowed out fuzzy toy bunnies. Then they stuffed them with motors, heaters, and sensors. They made the fake rabbits mimic the movements and actions of real cottontails. That’s because bunnies are one of the constrictor snake’s favorite foods. Once deployed, the robot rabbits (robbits? Rabbots?) sit there as prey for the pythons. When snakes attack the rabbits, scientists are notified. That helps them find the snakes.

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia. They first arrived in the Everglades in the 1980s. They likely spread because pet owners abandoned them. Pythons are among the largest snakes on Earth. They average between 10-16 feet in length when fully-grown. They eat anything from raccoons to deer to bobcats (and yes, lots of rabbits). They don't have any natural predators of their own in the region. So the invasive species is upending the ecosystem. That’s prompted biologists to look for creative solutions.  

“Our partners have allowed us to trial these things that may sound a little crazy,” wildlife ecologist and project lead Robert McCleery told USA Today. “Working in the Everglades for 10 years, you get tired of (tracking) the problem. You want to address it.”

With tens of thousands of the snakes still slithering through the Florida swamps, McCleery isn’t done with his inventions. He plans on infusing them with rabbit scent next.

Photo of python from Unsplash courtesy of Fahrad Norouzi.

Thought Question: What’s a creative or unusual solution you’ve seen or thought of to solve a problem?