Opossum vs. Python Experiment

April 27, 2026

In 2022, Museum wildlife biologist Michael Cove and his colleague A.J. Sanjar traveled to Florida to survey the habits of opossums after fitting them with tracking collars. It didn’t take long before they ran into a problem: local pythons kept eating their study participants. Each felled opossum wasn’t only a lost source of information — it was expensive, too. At the time, each tracking collar cost about $1,500.

While the issue was annoying, it also prompted an interesting discussion. The pythons that ate the opossums were all euthanized as part of Florida’s conservation efforts. What if researchers intentionally deployed opossums with (much cheaper) tracking collars, then used them as bait for thinning python numbers?

After a few years of tinkering with the plan and securing additional funding including $190 collars, Cove and Sanjar are planning to use Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Key Largo for their new opossum vs. python experiment.