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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.
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