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Yes, Burmese pythons live in the wild in South Florida, from just south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo, mostly in and around the Everglades.
The Burmese python is a large constrictor with no venom. Its native range is India, southern China, the Malay Peninsula and some islands of the East Indies, and it became established in Florida from pets that escaped or were let go. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says adults caught in Florida average 6 to 9 feet, and the largest caught in the state measured over 18 feet. They eat mammals, birds and reptiles. FWC says they can be a threat to human safety and may prey on pets such as cats and dogs.
Since April 29, 2021, the Burmese python has been on Florida's Prohibited species list, and it cannot be kept as a pet. It is not protected except by the anti-cruelty law. Anyone may humanely kill one on private land at any time with the landowner's permission, and on 32 FWC-managed lands with no permit or hunting license. A python must be killed where it is caught; carrying one away alive is not allowed.
In a July 9, 2026 release, FWC said more than 27,000 Burmese pythons have been reported removed from Florida since 2000. The 2026 Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day contest from July 10 to July 19, 2026, had 907 people from 30 states, Canada and Vietnam remove 280 pythons. The record is 294, removed in the 2025 contest. Contestants take an online training course and register at FLPythonChallenge.org.
FWC is the state agency for fish and wildlife. To report a python, take a photo, note the exact spot, and call its Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681), or use the IveGot1 app or IveGot1.org.
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