Florida panther
The Florida panther is a North American cougar population in South Florida. It lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. Its range includes the Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest, as well as rural communities in the counties of Collier, Hendry, Hardee, Desoto, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe County. It is the only confirmed cougar population in the Eastern United States, and currently occupies 5% of its historic range. As of 2024, about 200 individuals are left in the wild.
Description
Florida panthers are spotted at birth, and typically have blue eyes. As the panther grows, the spots fade and the coat becomes completely tan, while the eyes typically take on a yellow hue. The panther's underbelly is a creamy white, and it has black tips on the tail and ears. Florida panthers lack the ability to roar, and instead make distinct sounds that include whistles, chirps, growls, hisses, and purrs. Florida panthers are average-sized for the species, being smaller than cougars from colder climates, but larger than cougars from the tropics.Adult female Florida panthers weigh, whereas the larger males weigh. Total length is from and shoulder height is. Male panthers, on average, are 9.4% longer and 33.2% heavier than females because males grow at a faster rate than females and for a longer time.
Taxonomic status
It was described as a distinct cougar subspecies in the late 19th century. The Florida panther had for a long time been considered a unique cougar subspecies, with the scientific name Felis concolor coryi proposed by Outram Bangs in 1899.A genetic study of cougar mitochondrial DNA showed that many of the purported cougar subspecies described in the 19th century are too similar to be recognized as distinct.
It was reclassified and subsumed to the North American cougar in 2005.
Despite these findings, it was still referred to as a distinct subspecies P. c. coryi in 2006.
In 2017, the Cat Classification Taskforce of the Cat Specialist Group revised the taxonomy of Felidae, and now recognises all cougar populations in North America as P. c. couguar.
Distribution and habitat
The Florida panther lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. Its range includes the Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest, as well as rural communities in the counties of Collier, Hendry, Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe County. It is the only confirmed cougar population in the Eastern United States, and currently occupies 5% of its historic range. In the 1970s, an estimated 20 Florida panthers remained in the wild, but their numbers had increased to an estimated 230 by 2017.Behavior and ecology
Diet
The Florida panther is a large carnivore whose diet consists both of small animals, such as raccoons, armadillos, nutrias, hares, mice, and waterfowl, and larger prey such as storks, white-tailed deer, feral pigs, and small American alligators. The Florida panther is an opportunistic hunter, and has been known to prey on livestock and domesticated animals, including cattle, goats, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, and cats. When hunting, panthers shift their hunting environment based on where the prey base is. Female panthers frequently shift both their home range and movement behavior due to their reproductive rates.According to a 2022 study from the University of Georgia, Florida panthers are now the main cause of death for white-tailed deer in Southwest Florida. Of 241 deer captured and fitted with GPS collars during the study, 96 were killed by Florida panthers. This shows improved health in the endangered panther population. The panthers are also competing with the Burmese pythons. With the snakes eating the panther's food, it is making it harder for them to hunt and stay alive.
Early life
Panther kittens are born in dens created by their mothers, often in dense scrub. The dens are chosen based on a variety of factors, including prey availability, and have been observed in a range of habitats. Kittens will spend the first 6–8 weeks of life in those dens, dependent on their mother. In the first 2–3 weeks, the mother spends most of her time nursing the kittens; after this period, she spends more time away from the den, to wean the kittens and to hunt prey to bring to the den. Once they are old enough to leave the den, they hunt in the company of their mother. Male panthers are not encountered frequently during this time, as female and male panthers generally avoid each other outside of breeding. Kittens are usually 2 months old when they begin hunting with their mothers, and 2 years old when they begin to hunt and live on their own.Lifespan
Florida panthers can typically live up to 20 years but some individuals might live longer. Male panthers often have a shorter lifespan due to fights with other panthers over territory and females, and they travel more widely exposing them to accidents such as with vehicles and encounters with people.Threats
The biggest threat to the species is habitat loss. The two highest causes of mortality for individual Florida panthers are automobile collisions and territorial aggression between Florida panthers.Habitat
Primary threats to the population as a whole include habitat loss, habitat degradation, and habitat fragmentation. A crucial requirement for Florida panthers is the need for dense vegetation that provides concealment for resting, hunting, and raising kittens. This vegetation allows panthers to stalk prey, avoid conflicts, and protect their cubs. This loss through development or habitat thinning can directly affect their ability to survive. The FWC explains that even areas with sufficient prey may become unsuitable if vegetation is stripped too thin.Southern Florida is a fast-developing area, and many developments such as Ave Maria near Naples, have become extremely controversial for their location in prime panther habitat, and for the roads surrounding them that kill panthers at an ever increasing rate.
Fragmentation by major roads has severely segmented the sexes of the Florida panther, as well. In a study done between 1981 and 2004, most panthers involved in car collisions were found to be male. However, females are much more reluctant to cross roads. Therefore, roads separate habitat, and adult panthers.
The space that they have to travel in has shrunk to 2 million acres. In its place are homes and roads that they have to compete with.
Development, as well as the Caloosahatchee River, are major barriers to natural population expansion. While young males wander over extremely large areas in search of an available territory, females occupy home ranges close to their mothers. For this reason, panthers are poor colonizers and expand their range slowly, despite occurrences of males far away from the core population.
Vehicular collisions
Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of individual panther mortality. Florida panthers live in home ranges between. Within these ranges are many roads and human constructions, which are regularly traveled on by Florida panthers and can result in their death by vehicular collision. The number of Florida panthers killed by vehicular collisions has increased in recent years, and traffic collisions were responsible for the majority of recorded panther deaths each year between 2014 and 2021. Males are killed at a higher ratio because they travel more widely. Eighty-percent of panthers that are killed in vehicle collisions are young, four years of age or less.Intraspecies aggression
Territorial aggression between Florida panthers is the second leading cause of individual panther mortality.Competition with humans
Humans threaten the Florida panther directly through poaching and wildlife control measures.Florida panthers, usually wandering males, have occurred as vagrants outside of Florida, where they face a much higher risk of mortality. In 2008, a Georgia man was sentenced to two years probation, fined, and handed a hunting ban during his probation for killing a Florida panther that had walked north to Troup County, Georgia. In 2014, a male panther was shot and killed in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.
In a study on Florida Panthers and a predator-prey model between panthers, cattle, and white tail deer, it was looked at how panthers can be a damage to farmers who raise cattle and the hunters in Florida who hunt white tail deer. Right now, the Panthers are an endangered species and can cause damage to farmers and hunters, but they cannot be killed intentionally. Once they get to a certain population, it may become necessary to hunt the panthers to make sure the population stays under control.
Competition with invasive snakes
Florida's invasive snakes like Burmese pythons might eat Florida panthers. These snakes are known to consume large animals like deer and alligators, the size being limited only by how far the snake can open its mouth, which for some snakes can be as much as from top to bottom. Florida panthers may not recognize large invasive carnivorous snakes as a serious threat because of their recent introduction into the habitat.Disease
Antigen analysis on select Florida panther populations has shown evidence of feline immunodeficiency virus and puma lentivirus among certain individuals. The presence of these viruses is likely related to mating behaviors and territory sympatry. Although, since Florida panthers have lower levels of the antibodies produced in response to FIV, consistently positive results for the presence of infection is difficult to find.In the 2002–2003 capture season, feline leukemia virus was first observed in two panthers. Further analysis determined an increase in FeLV-positive panthers from January 1990 to April 2007. The virus is lethal, and its presence has resulted in efforts to inoculate the population. While no new cases have been reported since July 2004, the virus does have potential for reintroduction.
In August 2019, Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified, through the use of game cameras, eight endangered panthers affected by an apparent neurological disorder, but were unable to identify any potential infectious diseases that can affect felines and other species.
A disease that affects them as well as bobcats is a weakness in the back legs. As seen on trial cameras, the way that they walk is unsteady.