Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers (Puma concolor coryi) were put on the Endangered Species Act list on March 11, 1967. Florida Panthers traditionally have brown and pale fur. Males weigh from 100 to130 pounds. The average female weighs 70 pounds. They live in swamps and heavily dense forests in Florida. They are loners, like most cats, and often travel and hunt at night. Their main prey is deer, but they have been known to eat wild dog, rabbit, raccoon, and birds. Their mating season is from December to February. Females bear anywhere from 2-6 young. The young often have spotted fur to camouflage them in the den.
This picture was taken by Don Pfitzer at the US Fish & Wildlife Service at http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/i/a05.html

Historically, Florida Panthers have been recorded in parts of Texas, and southern states. Now, they are extinct in all places except Florida. Florida Panthers are extremely rare, numbering only 30-50 in the entire United States. They are being seriously threatened by human development and car accidents. However, many improvements have been made to sustain the Florida Panther population. The construction of panther under-passes on highways, reduced speed zones, and public education has helped stop the depletion of this species. This picture of the bridge is from The Panther Net http://www.panther.state.fl.us/gfc/panther/handbook/natural/life.html associated with Florida State University.

This page was developed by Steve Leone as a student project for Environmental Ethics, Phil 323, at the University of Arizona.
Copyright 1999, Steve Leone and the University of Arizona
Last update May 5, 1999.

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