It can be seen scattered in python hot spots among the cypress and sawgrass of South Florida. It is the state’s newest weapon in its arsenal to battle the invasive serpent, a mechanical lure meant to entice the apex predator to its ultimate demise.
Just don’t call it the Energizer bunny.
Researchers at the University of Florida have outfitted 40 furry toy rabbits with motors and tiny heaters that work together to mimic the movements and body temperature of a marsh rabbit — a favorite python meal.
They spin. They shake. They move randomly, and their creation is based on more than a decade of scientific review that began with a 2012 study that transported rabbits into Everglades National Park to see if, and how quickly, they would become python prey.
"The rabbits didn’t fare well," said Robert McCleery, a UF professor of wildlife ecology and conservation who is leading the robot bunny study that launched this summer.
Subsequent studies revealed that pythons are drawn to live rabbits in pens with an average python attraction rate of about one python per week. But having multiple live rabbits in multiple pens spread across a formidable landscape is cumbersome and requires too much manpower to care for them.
So, why not robot bunnies?
"We want to capture all of the processes that an actual rabbit would give off," McCleery said. "But I’m an ecologist. I’m not someone who sits around making robots."
Instead, colleague Chris Dutton, also a UF ecology professor but more mechanically adept, pulled the stuffing out of a toy rabbit and replaced it with 30 electronic components that are solar-powered and controlled remotely so that researchers can turn them on and off at specific times.
The rabbits were placed in different areas of South Florida in July 2025 for a test phase that includes a camera programmed to recognize python movement and alert researchers when one nears the rabbit pen. One of the biggest challenges was waterproofing the bunnies so that the correct temperature could still be radiated.
Version 2.0 of the study will add bunny scent to the stuffed rabbits if motion and heat aren’t enough to fool the snakes.
State efforts to mitigate python proliferation have included a myriad of efforts with varying degrees of success.
Renowned snake hunters from the Irula tribe in India were brought in to hunt and share their skills. There have been tests using near-infrared cameras for python detection, special traps designed, and pythons are tracked by the DNA they shed in water, with radio telemetry, and with dogs. Also, the annual Florida Python Challenge has gained legendary status, attracting hundreds of hunters each year vying for the US$ 10,000 grand prize.
McCleery said he’s pleased that the water management district and FWC, which has paid for previous studies, are willing to experiment.
"Our partners have allowed us to trial these things that may sound a little crazy," McCleery said. "Working in the Everglades for 10 years, you get tired of documenting the problem. You want to address it."
McCleery said researchers did not name the robot rabbits, although he did bring one home that needed repair. His son named it "Bunbun."
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