Florida women win 2025 Python challenge with 60 snake haul
The 4-foot-11 Florida woman won the top prize at the 2025 Python Challenge after capturing 60 Burmese Pythons at a 10-day hunting event.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee is seeking public support in documenting the ultra-rare rainbow snake last discovered in February 2020.
According to the FWC, the elusive, rainbow snake, scientifically known as the Phalancia eritogramma, is an infortable species that has declined in population in recent decades. Those populations are affected by habitat loss and reduced food sources. According to the Wildlife Commission, rainbow snakes eat American eels, a species of prey that is mainly decreasing in Florida waters as well. Snake fungal disease also affects rainbow snake populations in other states, raising concerns about the species’ long-term survival.
FWC spokesman Jonathan Vech told USA Today on August 18 that there could be other rainbow snakes sightings in Florida since 2020, but “they haven’t been reported or we’ve never learned them.”
Rainbow Snake Features
With bright and colorful scales, the rainbow snakes are visually impressive and easy to identify. They are usually rainbow black or violet blue, and according to the committee there are three red stripes along their backs, marked with purple spots on the lips and chin scales. Adult snakes usually reach 3-4 feet in length.
These semi-aquatic reptiles are usually “under or near water, such as rivers, springs, brackish marsh,” the committee added that one South Florida subspecies were historically discovered in Glaze County Fish Drug Creek, more than 150 miles south of Lake County’s closest known population. However, the species has not been documented since 1952, and researchers want to confirm their existence.
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How to report a rainbow snake sighting
“We need help from Floridians and visitors and need to have a better understanding of where the state’s rainbow snakes are still,” FWC research scientist Kevin Enge said in a statement. “All sighting reports provide valuable data on current distribution and help assess the health of Florida species.”
Rainbow snakes are extremely secrets and rarely seen. According to the University of Florida Museum, roads between bodies of water are usually crossed on rainy nights.
“Swimmers and divers report occasionally seeing them slowly raw along the bottom of the river grown in vibrant spring,” the museum said.
The FWC is requesting that they find the rainbow snake and report the sightings to the committee online.
“Photos are particularly useful for checking sightings and can be included when witnessing them online,” the committee said. “Sharing sightings will allow the public to play an important role in conserving this unique species.”
Florida Python Challenge
The FWC request comes days after the 2025 Python Challenge concludes on August 13th after a 10-day hunt in South Florida. This challenge made history this year with two fronts, the first woman to win the grand prize since the competition began in 2013, and the first woman to win the most complete snake.
Taylor Stanberry, a 29-year-old Naples resident, was announced on August 13th as the winner of the challenge. She is the first woman to win the Grand Prize at the Python Challenge in Florida.
Overall, 294 Pisons were captured, making it the most mark in the history of the contest.
How many people get bitten by snakes a year?
Rainbow-colored snakes are not venomous, but snake bites are not uncommon in the United States, according to the Centers for Disability Prevention and Prevention.
According to the CDC, around five people die from venomous snake bites each year in the United States, warning that the number will increase if the bitten person does not seek treatment.
Contributions: Kimberly Miller, USA Today Network
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA Today. Contact her at sshafiq @gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
