FLORIDA PANTHER        

Felis Concolor Coryi

Family: Felidae

Order: Carnivora

Range: Southern Florida

Status: Endangered
By: Grant Dettmer

History

The Florida Panther is an endangered subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor coryi), also referred to as mountain lion, puma, and catamount. The Florida Panther is the last subspecies of the Puma still living in the eastern United States.  These animals historically roamed throughout the southeastern United States, but today are restricted to less than 5% of its historic range.  This single breeding population is now located in the Southern part of Florida. The Florida panther was one of the first animals to be listed as a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and is protected on the State Endangered Species List for Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.  Even before the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Florida panther beginning to become protected.  In 1958 the Florida panther became protected from legal hunting, however illegal poaching was still quite prevalent for years to come.  In 1982, the Florida panther was chosen to be the official state animal of Florida, and remains that way to this day.

Background/Description

The Florida panther is typically born with blue eyes and a spotted coat. (Possibly the cutest animal of all time).  As time progresses and the panther grows, the spots fade away and the coat becomes completely tan while the eyes take on a yellow hue.  Another distinct aesthetic trait possessed by the Florida panther is that it has black tips on the tail and ears.  The Florida panther also lacks the ability to roar, and instead makes a range of noises such as chirps, whistles, and purrs.

Florida panthers are mid-sized for their species, being smaller than cougars from Northern and Southern climes, but larger than cougars from the neotropics. The adult male Florida panther can weigh up to 160 pounds while the adult female panther can weigh up to 100 pounds.  As for the length of their bodies, the male panther on average is 9.4% longer than the females.  This is due to the fact that the males have a much faster growth rate than females, and also grow for a longer amount of time.

Why is the Florida Panther Endangered?

Mistakenly perceived as a threat to humans, livestock, and game animals, the Florida panther was nearly hunted to extinction by the end of the 1950’s.

Geographic Range:

Currently the Florida panther lives within a range that includes the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and the Big Cypress National Preserve.  At a time, the Florida panther ranged throughout Florida as well as throughout much of the southeastern United States from Louisiana north and east to Tennessee and the Atlantic.  Today the last existing 100-180 adult panthers exist only on protected state and federal lands and remaining private lands in southwest Florida.  Although young, dispersing males have been documented in other parts of the state, the breading populations remain restricted to south Florida.

Geographic and Population Changes

The population has increased from 12-20 (excluding kittens) in the early 1970s to an estimated 100-120 in 2007. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The Florida Panther Recover Plan last revised in December of 2008 being the 3^rd revision since its addition to the Endangered Species List by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  The official date of this current Endangered Species Recovery Plan is 12/18/2008.

Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence

The Florida Panther has many threats to its continued existence primarily due to an increasing human population and development in panther habitat.  The Florida Panther also has an unusually large number of health problems that threaten its continued existence.  Most of these health problems are related to poor habitat conditions and genetic defects.  The Florida Panther also faces a large number of deaths per year due to car accidents on the major Florida roadways (State Road 29 and Alligator Alley “I-75”).  As these roadways encroach on the Florida panthers habitat we are seeing a very high rate of vehicular caused deaths.

Description of Recovery Plan

The recovery plan for the Florida Panther is to maintain, restore, and expand the panther population and its habitat in South Florida, and into south-central Florida (areas north of the Caloosahatchee River). 

They also want to reintroduce at least two additional populations within the historic range outside of south and south-central Florida. 

Lastly, they want to facilitate panther recovery through public awareness and education.

Texas Interbreeding Panthers

Due to the diminishing amount of Florida panthers, a plan was devised to bring the Texas cougar subspecies Felis concolor into Florida in hopes that they would breed together.  This cougar is a very close relative to the Florida panther and a traditional breeding partner in former times.  Against all odds this interbreeding plan worked!  Conservationists introduced eight female panthers trapped in Texas.  Between 1995 and 2003, the newcomers bred with the native cats of Florida and the gene pool was replenished. This not only established a stronger and larger population of panthers in Florida, but it enhanced the genetic makeup of the species and helped reverse the debilitating effects of Florida panther inbreeding.

Personal Action?

I personally think that we need to focus on creating valuable habitat for the Florida Panthers to breathe a little.  With growing development in Florida, the panther is losing habitat that is key for its survival.  I think that resources need to be allocated towards panther wildlife areas and preserves.

I also think that breeding programs must continue to be used to raise panthers in captivity and then later release them into the wild.  

Works Sited:

Florida Panther “dedicated to the prevention of a vanishing Florida.” Florida Panther website:

http://www.floridapanther.com/articles/FLORIDA%20PANTHER.htm

Florida Panther Net “Range of the Florida Panther” MyFWC website:

http://www.floridapanthernet.org/index.php/handbook/history/range_of_the_florida_panther/#.Vl4x-t-rSi4

FWS.Gov “The History of the Florida Panther” FWS website:

https://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/FloridaPanther.pdf

“Texas Tail Saves Florida Panthers, For Now” Wired Magazine website:

http://www.wired.com/2010/09/florida-panthers/