Wildlife officials are turning to decoy rabbits wired with sensors to hunt invasive pythons before they wipe out everything else.
Florida’s python problem just hit sci-fi levels. Forget traps, fences, or airboats. Now there are robot rabbits baiting massive snakes deep in the Everglades, and the tech is working better than anyone expected. These snakes are eating through native wildlife like it’s a buffet, and the bunnies are just the beginning. If you thought invasive species were a boring side quest in the climate crisis, this might be the plot twist that changes your mind.
1. The snakes are so stealthy they’ve made deer vanish from entire regions.
South Florida’s whitetail deer didn’t just dip—they got swallowed. Burmese pythons have quietly replaced top predators in some parts of the Everglades by out-hunting and out-hiding everything else. According to a 2012 study by the U.S. Geological Survey, areas invaded by these snakes saw a 94 percent drop in raccoons, 87 percent in opossums, and deer populations nearly disappeared. These snakes don’t slither in and snack. They move in like landlords and take over the whole ecosystem. They’re so camouflaged and nocturnal that standard tracking methods are useless. So now biologists have stopped trying to catch snakes and started baiting them with fake animals instead. Which, if you think about it, is kind of genius.
2. Engineers designed the robot rabbits to radiate snake-worthy heat.
The rabbits aren’t just cute decoys—they’re walking thermal lies. As discovered by University of Florida researchers, these synthetic prey are fitted with heated coils to mimic the body temperature of warm-blooded animals, which triggers the python’s infrared targeting system. These snakes don’t rely on sight. They lock onto body heat, even in pitch-black wetlands. That’s why the bunny-bots are built to give off the exact signature of a rabbit about to make a bad decision. One of the engineers even said the bunnies are more detectable than live animals. The trick is they don’t run. They lure. And once the snake lunges, it activates a tracker that alerts scientists where the next massive snake is hiding. Pretty bold move from a rabbit that runs on batteries.
3. One robotic rabbit already helped capture a 14-foot python near Big Cypress.
Down in Big Cypress National Preserve, wildlife agents used one of the prototype bunnies to draw out a record-size female python lurking near a marsh trail. As stated by The Tampa Bay Times, the python wrapped itself around the decoy like it had hit the jackpot. The internal pressure sensor sent a ping to researchers, who pulled up with nets and tranquilizers. That one snake had over 70 eggs inside. That’s the part that still gets me. They weren’t just catching snakes—they were intercepting a future invasion. This isn’t a novelty anymore. The success rate is pushing agencies to request funding for more robotic prey, including ones shaped like possums and even small deer.
4. The rabbits are being programmed to “behave” like real animals.
They don’t just sit there anymore. Some of the newer versions twitch their ears and simulate movement that mimics actual rabbit behavior under stress. It’s subtle—just enough to make a hungry snake commit. Researchers watched hours of trail cam footage to figure out the exact rhythm a rabbit follows when it senses a predator nearby. Then they built it into the code. When the robot twitches just right, it triggers that exact moment a python decides to strike. And once it does, the snake basically tattles on itself with all the tech embedded in the decoy.
5. Burmese pythons aren’t just predators, they’re ecosystem bullies.
These snakes don’t just eat—they wreck the balance of everything else. They eat all the prey, outcompete native snakes, and even kill Florida panther kittens. That’s been one of the scarier discoveries. These aren’t isolated attacks either. Panther GPS collar data has shown increased disappearances in zones where python populations exploded. Researchers believe the pythons are eating both the food panthers rely on and sometimes the cubs themselves. That’s why Florida isn’t playing around anymore. The bunny bots are the tip of the tech iceberg.
6. The software includes a digital autopsy log after each snake capture.
Once a python is caught, researchers perform a full necropsy, and the robot logs the capture data—including location, time of strike, and pressure readings from the coils. That’s helping biologists map python movement like never before. It’s not just about getting one snake. It’s about building a pattern. Where they hide, when they feed, and how far they travel after a successful meal. This data is already changing how patrols are scheduled. Now some teams only work during moonless nights because that’s when snakes strike more often. The bunnies aren’t just bait—they’re data recorders.
7. Florida is planning to expand robot prey into residential buffer zones.
It’s not just national parks anymore. There’s talk of testing some of the smaller decoy bots around residential developments that border swamp zones. Places like Homestead and Collier County have seen pythons showing up in backyards, near chicken coops, and worse—inside garages. These bots could serve as early detection units. If a snake targets one, that gives biologists a chance to intervene before a pet disappears. The tech is being adapted for durability and camouflage in urban edges where the Everglades meets human development.
8. The rabbit bots may soon be equipped with audio triggers.
There’s talk of adding sound cues—distressed rabbit calls or motion rustles—to enhance the decoy. Because pythons don’t rely on hearing the way mammals do, this is mostly to trigger curiosity or add realism if other species are monitoring the trap area. It could also help ward off scavengers who might otherwise try to mess with the bots. Think vultures, raccoons, or even domestic dogs sniffing around. The engineers are tweaking the frequencies to hit that creepy uncanny valley of rabbit realism without creating chaos.
9. Not every snake takes the bait, but the ones that do are always big.
The python program isn’t nabbing juveniles. It’s targeting breeding-age females—the real problem. These snakes are the most elusive, often only moving at night and staying buried during daylight. The robotic prey is set to mimic their natural feeding window. The majority of strikes happen in the late evening when the snakes feel safe. Researchers are calling it a selective pressure strategy. In other words, they’re removing the exact individuals driving the population boom without wasting time chasing every baby snake in the marsh.
10. A second prototype mimics a marsh rabbit that’s already nearly gone.
The Lower Keys marsh rabbit has been on the endangered list for years thanks to rising sea levels and, yep, pythons. So the tech team figured if the species is already being hunted to extinction, maybe it could at least inspire a decoy that prevents the same fate for others. The second prototype is based on this rabbit’s shape and behavior, down to the tail flicks and twitchy nose. It’s a weird kind of tribute, but if a robot rabbit can save what’s left of the Everglades, it might be the strangest hero Florida’s ever had.