From en.wikipedia.org:
[Population of cougar endemic to Florida] [the hockey team] {{Population
taxobox |genus = Puma |species = concolor |subspecies = couguar
|subspecies_link = North American cougar |status=T1 |status_system=TNC
|status_ref=[1] |status2=LE |status2_system=ESA |status2_ref=<ref
name=ecos>[url=https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/1763]<ref name=fr32>[32]
|population = Florida panther |image=Everglades National Park Florida
Panther.jpg|image caption=Close-up of head in Everglades National Park
|synonyms=*_Puma concolor_ subsp. _coryi_ <small>(Bangs, 1899)</small>
- _Felis concolor_ subsp. _coryi_ <small> Bangs, 1899 </small>
|synonyms_ref=<ref name=ecos/>[2][3] | range_map = Florida panther range with
states.png | range_map_caption = Range of the Florida panther within the U.S.
| range_map_alt = }}
The FLORIDA PANTHER is a North American cougar (_P. c. couguar_) 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.[4]
** 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 [29], whereas
the larger males weigh [45.5].[5] Total length is from [1.8] and shoulder
height is [60].[6][7] 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.<ref name=Scopus>[title=Growth in body length and mass of the
Florida panther: An evaluation of different models and sexual size dimorphism]
** Taxonomic status
It was described as a distinct cougar subspecies (_Puma concolor coryi_) in
the late 19th century.<ref name=msw3>[pages=544–545 ] 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.<ref
name=msw3/> 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.<ref name=Culver>[author=Culver, M. ] It was
reclassified and subsumed to the North American cougar (_P. c. couguar_) in
2005.<ref name=msw3/> Despite these findings, it was still referred to as a
distinct subspecies _P. c. coryi_ in 2006.<ref
name=improving>[author1=Conroy, M. J. ]
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_.<ref name=Catsg2017>[author1=Kitchener, A. C. ]
** 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.[8] In the 1970s, an estimated 20 Florida panthers remained
in the wild,[9] but their numbers had increased to an estimated 230 by
2017.[10]
** 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.[11] 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.<ref name="AMN-1989-07" />[12] <ref
name=BioOne>[last1=McBride][13]
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.[14] Of
241 deer captured and fitted with GPS collars during the study, 96 were killed
by Florida panthers.<ref name=":2" /> This shows improved health (and
therefore ability to hunt) in the endangered panther population.[15]
*** 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.[16] 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.[17]
*** 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.[18]
** Threats
The biggest threat to the species is habitat loss.<ref name="Sierra" /> The
two highest causes of mortality for individual Florida panthers are automobile
collisions and territorial aggression between Florida panthers.[19]
*** Vehicular collisions
Vehicle collisions are the leading cause of individual panther mortality.<ref
name="Sierra" /> Florida panthers live in home ranges between [190]. 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,[20] and traffic collisions were responsible for the
majority of recorded panther deaths each year between 2014 and 2021.[21] Males
are killed at a higher ratio (60%) because they travel more widely.
Eighty-percent of panthers that are killed in vehicle collisions are young,
four years of age or less.<ref name="FFWCC" />
*** Habitat
Primary threats to the population as a whole include habitat loss, habitat
degradation, and habitat fragmentation. 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.[22][23][24]
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.[25]
Development, as well as the Caloosahatchee River, are major barriers to
natural population expansion.[26] 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.
*** Panthers vs. panthers
Territorial aggression between Florida panthers is the second leading cause of
individual panther mortality.<ref name="Sierra" />
*** Panthers vs. 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 [600]
north to Troup County, Georgia.[27][28] In 2014, a male panther was shot and
killed in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia.[29]
*** 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.[30]
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.[31]
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.[32][33]
*** Chemicals
Exposure to a variety of chemical compounds in the environment has caused
reproductive impairment to Florida panthers. Tests show that the differences
between males and females in estradiol levels are insignificant, which
suggests that males have been feminized due to chemical exposure. Feminized
males are much less likely to reproduce, which represents a significant threat
to a subspecies that already has a low population count and a high level of
inbreeding. Chemical compounds that have created abnormalities in Florida
panther reproduction include herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides such as
benomyl, carbendazim, chlordecone, methoxychlor, methylmercury, fenarimol, and
TCDD.[34]
*** Genetic depletion
Prior to the mid-1990s, the biggest threat to the survival of the species was
inbreeding. The Florida panther has low genetic diversity due to a variety of
environmental and genetic issues. This resulted in a gradual decline in the
population size with subsequent increase in the likelihood of inbreeding
depression.[35] The lower genetic diversity and higher rates of inbreeding led
to increased deleterious traits in the population, resulting in lower overall
fitness of the Florida panther population. This also lowered the adaptive
capacity of the population and increased the likelihood of genetic defects[36]
such as cryptorchidism and other complications to the heart and immune system.
One of the morphological consequences of inbreeding was a high frequency of
cowlicks and kinked tails. The frequency of cowlick in a Florida panther
population was 94% compared to other pumas at 9%, while the frequency of a
kinked tail was 88% as opposed to 27% for other puma subspecies.<ref name=":1"
/>
Due to conservation efforts (see "Genetic diversity" below) this is no longer
as big a threat.
*** Predators
Florida's invasive snakes like Burmese pythons might eat Florida panthers.<ref
name="Sarill" /> 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 60 inches from top to
bottom.[37] Burmese pythons hunt, kill and eat leopards in their native
habitat of Southeast Asia.[38] Large invasive carnivorous snakes are
apex-predators which native mammals have not evolved to be wary of.<ref
name="Sarill" />
*** Corruption - David Maehr controversy
In 2003, a corruption controversy emerged involving David Maehr, a leading
Florida panther expert. Land developers bribed Maehr to produce
scientifically unsound papers that deliberately downplayed the importance of
certain lands for panther survival. These flawed studies were then submitted
to permitting agencies to justify development and forest-clearing projects.
Ultimately, this allowed for the destruction of land that was, in fact, vital
habitat for the Florida panther.<ref name="Pittman" />[39]
After a whistleblower exposed Maehr's work, federal and state agencies
appointed a panel of four experts called the Florida Panther Scientific Review
Team (SRT). Tasked with evaluating the science used to guide panther
recovery, the SRT identified serious problems with Maehr's literature,
including poor citations and misrepresented data used to support unsound
conclusions.[40][41][42] Subsequently, a Data Quality Act (DQA) complaint was
filed by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and Andrew
Eller, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The
complaint successfully demonstrated that government agencies had continued to
use the incorrect information even after it was identified as flawed.[43] As a
result of the DQA ruling, the USFWS admitted to errors in the science it was
using and reinstated Eller, who had been fired after filing the complaint. In
two subsequent white papers, environmental groups contended that this reliance
on incorrect data had led to improper permitting for habitat development and
documented the link between the flawed science and financial conflicts of
interest.[44][45]
David Maehr was covertly paid by developers, and his faulty science research
gave developers the necessary permitting to clear forests needed by the
panthers to retain a viable breeding population.<ref name=Pittman>[title=Cat
Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther ] In January 2006,
USFWS released a new draft Florida Panther Recovery Plan for public
review.[46] The discredited Maehr left Florida and the field of panthers to
study black bears in Kentucky; while on sabbatical in 2008, he died in a
single-engine prop plane accident while doing a bear survey.[47]
** Conservation
*** Conservation programs
There are a number of official conservation plans and programs.
The Florida Panther Recovery Plan is the foundational federal-level document
for panther conservation, mandated by the Endangered Species Act.. First
written in 1981 and last fully revised in 2008, it outlines the overarching
strategy for the panther's survival and eventual removal from the endangered
species list. It is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service.[48]
The Florida Panther Program is run by the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission (FWC). It was originally called the Florida Panther
Management Plan. It is the primary state-level conservation program. It
consists of multiple plans including the Imperiled Species Management
Plan,[49] the Florida Panther Conservation Plan run by the Florida Department
of Transportation (FDOT),[50] and the Florida Panther Protection Program in
eastern Collier County.[51]
Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are legally binding agreements between the
USFWS and private entities (like landowners or developers) in South Florida.
They are designed to allow for some development while ensuring that the impact
on panther habitat is minimized and mitigated, often by preserving and
managing other crucial lands.
Florida Panther Conservation Banks are a market-based tool where landowners
are given financial incentives to protect and manage panther habitat on their
property. They earn "credits" which can be sold to developers to offset
habitat loss elsewhere. This helps to secure and maintain corridors and
larger landscapes for panthers on private lands.[52]
*** Habitat conservation
The conservation of Florida panther habitats is especially important because
they rely on the protection of the forest, specifically hardwood hammock,
cypress swamp, pineland, and hardwood swamp, for their survival.<ref
name="Maehr, D. S. 2002"/> Conservation strategies for Florida panthers tend
to focus on their preferred morning habitats. However, GPS tracking has
determined that habitat selection for panthers varies by time of day for all
observed individuals, regardless of size or gender. They move from wetlands
during the daytime to prairie grasslands at night. The implications of these
findings suggest that conservation efforts must be focused on the full range
of habitats used by Florida panther populations.[53] Female panthers with cubs
build dens for their litters in an equally wide variety of habitats, favoring
dense scrub, but also using grassland and marshland.<ref name="JWM-2008-02" />
*** Genetic diversity
To increase genetic diversity of the Florida panther, eight pumas from Texas
were introduced in the mid-1990s. This genetic rescue worked. It aided in
reducing the inbreeding coefficient in the Florida panther population by
creating more genetic variation. The results indicated that the survival
rates of hybrid kittens were three times higher than those of purebred
pumas.<ref name=":0" /> Due to the successes of this restoration effort, the
genetic depletion of the Florida panther population is now not as much of a
problem as it used to be, but is being monitored since the population is still
in a fragile condition.[54]
*** Traffic safety
Efforts to reduce vehicle collisions with the Florida panther include
nighttime speed reduction zones, special roadsides, headlight reflectors, and
rumble strips. Another method of reducing collisions is the creation of
wildlife corridors. Because wildlife corridors emulate the natural
environment, animals are more likely to cross through a corridor rather than a
road because a corridor provides more cover for prey and predators, and is
safer to cross than a road.[55]
*** Rehabilitation
When incidents injure the panthers, federal and Florida wildlife officials
take them to White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Florida, for recovery and
rehabilitation until they are well enough to be reintroduced.[56]
Additionally, White Oak raises orphaned kittens and has done so for 12
individuals. Most recently, an orphaned brother and sister were brought to
the center at 5 months old in 2011 after their mother was found dead in
Collier County, Florida.[57] After being raised, the male and female were
released in early 2013 to the Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area and Collier
County, respectively.[58]
*** Endangered status
The Florida panther was formerly considered endangered[59] or critically
endangered[60] by the IUCN, but it has not been listed since 2008. It was
listed as _Felis concolor coryi_ in 1967 under the Endangered Species
Preservation Act of 1966,<ref name=fr32/> and continues to be protected as an
endangered animal under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.<ref name=ecos/>
** Human safety
If encountered, the advice is not to run since this may stimulate the
panther's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal and make eye
contact. Most Florida panthers will avoid a confrontation. In the event of
being attacked, an individual should fight back, without turning their back.
Further, there has never been a reported panther attack in Florida. However,
in western states, people have been attacked and fought back successfully with
rocks, sticks, or even their bare hands.[61]
** In culture
In 1982, the Florida panther was chosen as the Florida state animal.<ref
name=dos-fp1>[ url =
https://dos.fl.gov/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-animal/ ] The
animal is the namesake of South Florida's hockey team, and the team has
donated to the preservation of panther habitats.
In 2023 the Florida panther was featured on a United States Postal Service
forever stamp as part of the _Endangered Species_ set, based on a photograph
from Joel Sartore's _Photo Ark_. The stamp was dedicated at a ceremony at the
National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall, South Dakota.[62]
The Florida panther was also prominently featured in the 2022 documentary
_Path of the Panther_, which highlights conservation efforts to protect the
species and share the importance of preserving wildlife corridors in Florida.
The film played a role in raising public awareness and influencing the passage
of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act.[63]
** References
[Reflist]
** External links
- Florida Panther Net – by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (see http://www.floridapanthernet.org/)
- Florida Panther – National Park Service website (see https://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/floridapanther.htm)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Press Release on new Draft Recovery Plan (see http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2006/r06-008.html) [url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185147/http://www.fws.gov/southeast/news/2006/r06-008.html ]
- The Florida Panther Society, Inc. (see https://web.archive.org/web/20090301233350/http://www.panthersociety.org/index.html)
- Florida Panther Project (see http://www.floridapantherprojectinc.org/)
- Bounding, Rebounding: Panthers Make a Comeback (see https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130078633) – audio report by _NPR_ (requires JavaScript , pop-ups , and Adobe Flash Player )
[from=Q776670] [Authority control]
Category:Cougar Category:Mammals described in 1899 Category:Endemic mammals of
the United States Category:Symbols of Florida Category:Fauna of the
Southeastern United States Category:Species that are or were threatened by
habitat fragmentation