Pythons survive Everglades cold snaps, drought

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Pythons appear to be prospering in the Everglades despite winter freezes and a dearth of rain.

Twenty-six pythons have been captured so far this year and the South Florida Water Management District said it removed six pythons from the Everglades in the last week alone. The snakes were recovered in areas where they were not previously found.

The discovery of dead pythons after cold snaps last year had scientists speculating they pythons couldn't survive such extreme weather. But their persistence despite freezes and a drought this year has them reconsidering.

Burmese pythons are top predators known to prey on more than 20 native Florida species.