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Pythons Snacking on GPS-Wearing Opossums That Give Up Their Locations

"After nearly five months of waiting, an alarm activated on Michael Cove’s radio, a sign his study was working.

To hunt pythons, an invasive predator in the Florida Keys, Cove and fellow researchers have been strapping GPS collars to opossums and raccoons. When one was eaten by a python in September, researchers programmed the device to notify them from within the snake’s stomach.

After roughly six weeks of searching for the python that activated the alarm, research technicians located the 66-pound snake hiding underground. They needed about six hours to yank her out of the ground before they euthanized her. In her stomach, researchers discovered the collar — confirmation their plan worked."

Kyle Melnick reports for the Washington Post February 18, 2023.

Source: Washington Post, 02/21/2023