Burmese python in a cabbage palm in Big Cypress National Preserve

This male adult python was first found basking on top of Brazilian peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius) 5 meters above ground and then ascended to the crown of a cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) tree (pictured here) that was 7 meters above ground in February 2022. 

This photo is a part of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release that provides radiotracking, morphometric, photographic, and video data files associated with a peer-reviewed published manuscript on the arboreal habitat use of Burmese pythons in Big Cypress National Preserve in southern Florida.

McBride, L.M., Kissel, A.M., Yackel Adams, A.A., Sherburne, S.R., Metcalf, M.F., Guzy, J.C., Hart, K.M., Romagosa, C.M., and Sandfoss, M.R., 2026, Morphometric and arboreal habitat use data of Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and associated digital media files in Big Cypress National Preserve, FL November 2017 to December 2024: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P1UJJNVA.