This year’s challenge saw women dominating the field. Taylor Stanberry won the Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 with 60 pythons removed from the Everglades.
The 2025 Florida Python Challenge came at a time when Burmese python hatchlings were numerous as they were just coming out of their eggs. And this led to a record haul of pythons, with 294 Burmese pythons removed from the wild in South Florida. This year’s challenge saw women dominating the field. Taylor Stanberry won the Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 with 60 pythons removed from the Everglades. Following Stanberry, professional python hunter Donna Kalil removed 56 pythons from the wild for a $2,500 prize. The longest python prize was won my Kennith Chamberlaid, with a 9 feet 8 inch specimen.
Women dominated the novice category as well. Krista Hoekstra won the Most Pythons Prize with 14 pythons removed from the Everglades. Most Pythons Runner-up went to Kymberly Clark, who pulled out seven pythons from the wild, and the longest python prize in the novice category went to Michael Marousky, whose snake measured at 15 feet, 11 inches.
More Than 3 Tons of Burmese Python Snakes Removed From Southwest Florida This Season
In the Military, active duty and veteran category, John Southworth, US Army, took home $2,500 for removing five pythons from the wild. Matthew Jamison of the US Air Force won $1,500 as runner up with three pythons removed from the wild, and longest python prize of $1,000 went to Jonathan Miller of the US Air Force with an 11 feet 2 inch snake.
Cottonmouth Snakes Are Eating Burmese Pythons In Florida Everglades
The Florida Python Challenge is designed to raise awareness of invasive species in Florida and the threat they pose to the state’s ecology. It also enables the public to get involved in helping to reduce the population of wild Burmese pythons in the Everglades and elsewhere in south Florida.
Burmese Pythons and Florida
The Burmese python is one of many invasive species that are found in Florida. The species is well-established in the Florida Everglades and authorities are actively trying to reduce their populations.
Recent evidence of predation of the large constricting snake has shown that the cottonmouth snakes are eating baby Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades. This is in addition to other animals, including the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), the Gulf Coast indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus) that are consumers of these snakes. The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is also possibly a consumer of the Burmese python.
