Florida Panther

STATUS: Endangered.

DESCRIPTION:One of 30 cougar subspecies, the Florida panther is tawny brown on the back and pale gray underneath, with white flecks on the head, neck and shoulder.

SIZE:Weight: males, up to 130 pounds; females, 70 pounds.

HABITAT:Cypress swamps, pine and hardwood hammock forests.

RANGE: Originally from western Texas and throughout the southeastern states; now found only in Florida

FOOD SOURCE: Mostly white-tailed deer, sometimes wild hog, rabbit, raccoon, armadillo and birds.

POPULATION: 30-50 individuals.

BEHAVIOR: Solitary, territorial, often travel at night. Males have a home range of up to 400 square miles and females about 50-100 square miles.

REPRODUCTION: Reach sexual maturity at about 3 years. Mating season is December through February. Gestation lasts about 90 days and females bear 2-6 kittens. Young stay with mother for about 2 years. Females do not mate again until young have left.

SURVIVAL THREATS: Habitat loss because of human development and population growth, collision with vehicles, parasites, feline distemper, feline alicivirus (an upper respiratory infection), and other diseases.

LEGAL PROTECTION: CITES, Appendix I, Endangered Species Act

CONSERVATION: Reduced speeding zones, construction of panther underpasses, public education, captive breeding program and research.