Burmese pythons, long blamed for stripping mammals from the Everglades, may also be quietly moving plants around South Florida. Researchers documented 25 kinds of seeds in the digestive tracts of pythons removed from the Greater Everglades, and in one germination test nearly 40% of cabbage palm seeds that had passed through a python's gut sprouted.

The findings come from a study by scientists at the University of Florida, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, published online in the Journal of Zoology in November 2025. The USGS highlighted the work again in September 2026 in a roundup of research supporting invasive reptile management, and it drew a new round of attention this month.

For South Florida residents, land managers and anyone who hikes, fishes or boats in the Everglades, the study adds a plant-level dimension to a problem usually measured in lost raccoons and rabbits. Pythons that carry seeds of invasive plants could help those plants reach sensitive habitats, complicating what the USGS describes as long-term, costly restoration work in the region.

Seeds Carried Secondhand Through Prey

Pythons do not eat fruit. The seeds arrive inside mammals and birds that ate fruit before being swallowed — a two-step route scientists call diploendozoochory. Some seeds survive both trips through a digestive tract and are deposited somewhere new.

The python samples came largely from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, whose biologists Ian Bartoszek and Ian Easterling have collected stomach and digestive-tract contents from pythons removed in the Greater Western Everglades for years. Native species found in the samples included cabbage palm, Florida's state tree, and creeping cucumber.

The Conservancy describes the snakes as possible unintentional "secondary seed dispersers." Only germination trials can confirm that dispersal succeeds, the group notes, and the Conservancy-supported test of cabbage palm seeds is the one cited so far as evidence that dispersal is likely occurring.

Tegus Play a More Direct Role

The study also examined Argentine black and white tegus, large omnivorous lizards that are established in South Florida. Unlike pythons, tegus eat fruit directly — no prey animal is needed as a go-between. Researchers found 73 seed types in tegu diets, and the seeds from both reptiles together spanned 38 plant families, including native, endangered and invasive species, according to the USGS publication summary.

A network analysis suggested both reptiles are becoming functionally integrated into Everglades seed dispersal networks. The authors concluded that invasive reptiles "not only disrupt native plant-animal interactions but may also reshape them."

The tegu finding has implications beyond Florida. USGS scientists have reported that much of the United States is suitable for tegu invasion and that suitability is likely to increase, which is why the agency has focused on early detection and rapid response tools for the lizards.

A Food Web Already Missing Its Seed Carriers

The study lays out three ways invaders can change what happens to seeds: eating seeds directly, killing seed-carrying animals before they eat, and carrying seeds inside prey that already ate them.

The second pathway is already well documented. A 2012 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that since 1997, raccoon sightings in Everglades National Park had fallen 99.3%, opossums 98.9%, and bobcats 87.5%. Many of those mammals help spread seeds.

The USGS summarized the combined effect in plain terms. "This phenomenon could have far-reaching consequences,"the agency wrote, noting the reptiles could carry plants into new environments or reduce dispersal overall by eating native seed dispersers.

The USGS count of plant species in its September summary, 60 native and invasive species across both reptiles, differs from the morphotype counts in the paper because seed types are not always identified to species. Readers comparing coverage may see both figures.

Limits of the Evidence So Far

This was a diet study combined with a germination test and network modeling, not a field experiment tracking seeds to new plants. It documents seeds in pythons and shows that one native species can still sprout after the journey. It does not show how many python-carried seeds grow into adult plants in the wild, how far seeds travel, or whether the snakes measurably change plant communities.

The germination test covered cabbage palm alone, so results may not apply to other species, including invasive plants. Samples also came from pythons removed through management programs, which may not represent every habitat in the region. The findings have not changed state guidance on python management.

Reporting Pythons and Tegus in South Florida

The practical guidance remains the same: report the animals, and do not try to handle them. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asks the public to report Burmese pythons, tegus and other nonnative species to its Exotic Species Hotline at 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4681), online at IveGot1.org or through the free IveGot1 app, ideally with a photo and exact location.

Burmese pythons are not venomous, but like any wild animal, they may defend themselves. The FWC's Python Action Team and the South Florida Water Management District's Python Elimination Program respond to reports of large constrictors, according to an FWC release. Pet owners who can no longer care for a nonnative reptile can surrender it through the FWC's Exotic Pet Amnesty Program without penalty, which helps prevent new releases.

The bottom line is that pythons may be doing more than removing wildlife from the Everglades, but the plant-spreading role is still an early finding based on one germination test. Residents can help most by reporting sightings rather than approaching the animals.

What Readers Want to Know

What did the python study find?

Researchers found 25 types of seeds in the digestive tracts of Burmese pythons removed from the Greater Everglades. In one test, nearly 40% of cabbage palm seeds that passed through a python's gut germinated.

How do pythons carry seeds if they do not eat fruit?

Pythons swallow mammals and birds that have eaten fruit. Some seeds survive both digestive tracts and are deposited in new places.

Is this research new?

The study was published online in the Journal of Zoology in November 2025. The USGS highlighted it again in September 2026, and it received renewed media attention in October 2026.

Could pythons spread invasive plants?

Possibly. The seeds found in pythons and tegus included invasive species, but the study did not test whether those seeds grow into established plants in the wild.

What should I do if I see a python or tegu?

Do not approach it. Report it to the FWC's Exotic Species Hotline at 888-483-4681, online at IveGot1.org or through the IveGot1 app, with a photo and location if possible.

Does this change how Florida manages pythons?

No changes to management guidance have been announced. Researchers say the findings add to the case for preventing new invasions and removing established reptiles.