A total of 907 participants helped remove 280 invasive Burmese pythons from South Florida during the 2026 Florida Python Challenge — the winners of which have now been announced.
Tom Rahill won the grand prize of $10,000 by removing 96 pythons during the competition, which ran from July 10 through July 19. According to a release by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, all of Rahill's pythons were removed from Everglades National Park.
Rahill is the founder of The Swamp Apes, a Broward-based nonprofit that "provides support and assistance" to veterans and first responders "looking to connect back to the land" via outdoor experiences, according to the group's website.
In the professional prizes category, Christina Kraus won the $2,500
prize for most pythons, with 36 snakes removed. Taylor Stanberry, the winner of the 2025 Python Challenge, took the $1,500 runner up prize for most pythons removed in the professional category, with a total of 34 snakes.
Rahm Levinson won the $1,000 professional prize for the longest python, at 16 feet and five inches.
How many snakes were removed during last year's challenge, and who won?
Participants in 2025, of which there were 934, removed "a record" 294 pythons, according to the FWC.
Taylor Stanberry, last year's winner, is a professional python hunter from Naples. She caught a total of 60 pythons during the 2025 challenge, securing the $10,000 grand prize during her first year participating. According to National Geographic, Stanberry used the money to turn her backyard into a full-fledged sanctuary — the Wild Stanberry's Sanctuary, a Naples-based nonprofit.
Stanberry was the first woman to win the challenge since it began in 2013.
Burmese pythons pose a threat to Florida's native species
Adult Burmese pythons have few predators, according to the FWC, and frequently prey upon native species, including those that are threatened or endangered.
Burmese pythons can also threaten the safety of human beings, although they ultimately pose the biggest danger to the ecosystems they become established in. They can also prey on household pets, such as cats and dogs, and can consume meals equivalent to 100% of their body mass.
How to identify Burmese pythons
Though Burmese pythons can grow to over 20 feet in length, those captured in Florida are usually between six and 10 feet long, says the FWC. In adulthood, they’re larger than almost all native snakes, and are usually tan with dark blotches along their backs and sides.
Additionally, the dark patches along their bodies usually fit together like puzzle pieces, and can look similar to the patterns on giraffes. They also have dark wedges along the tops and bottoms of their heads, as well as behind their eyes.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 Florida python hunt saw 280 snakes removed. How about last year?
