Florida Panther

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The Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi), a subspecies of the mountain lion, is a member of the cat family, Felidae, and is severely threatened with extinction. Listed as endangered, the Florida panther population currently numbers between 30 and 50 individuals. Its former range probably extended from western Louisiana and Arkansas eastward through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and southwestern South Carolina to the southern tip of Florida. Today the Florida panther's range consists of the Everglades-Big Cypress Swamp area. The preferred habitat for this large cat is subtropical forests comprised of dense stands of trees, vines, and shrubs, typically in low, swampy areas.

Several factors have contributed to the decline of the Florida panther. Historically the most significant factors have been habitat loss and persecution by humans. Land use patterns have altered the environment throughout the former range of the Florida panther.

With shifts to cattle ranching and agriculture, lands were drained and developed, and with the altered vegetation patterns came a change in the prey base for this top carnivore. The main prey item of the Florida panther is white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Formerly, the spring and summer rains kept the area wet, and then, as it dried out, fires would renew the grassy meadows at the forest edges, creating an ideal habitat for the deer. With development and increased deer hunting by humans, the panther's prey base declined and so did the number of panthers. Prior to the 1950s, Florida had a bounty on Florida panthers because the animal was considered a "threat" to humans and livestock. During the 1950s, state law protected the dwindling population of panthers. In 1967 the Florida panther was listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species.

Land development is still moving southward in Florida. With the annual influx of new residents, fruit orchards being moved south due to recent freezes, and continued draining and clearing of land, panther habitat continues to be destroyed. The Florida panther is forced into areas that are not good habitat for white-tailed deer, and the panthers are catching armadillos and raccoons for food. The panthers then become underweight and anemic due to poor nutrition.

Development contributes to the Florida panther's decline in other ways, too. Its range is currently split in half by the east-west highway known as Alligator Alley. During peak seasons, over 30,000 vehicles traverse this stretch of highway daily, and, since 1972, 44 panthers have been killed by cars, the largest single cause of death for these cats in recent decades.

Biology is also working against the Florida panther. Because of the extremely small population size, inbreeding of panthers has yielded increased reproductive failures, due to deformed or infertile sperm. The spread of feline distemper virus also is a concern to wildlife biologists. All these factors have led officials to develop a recovery plan that includes a captive breeding program using a small number of injured animals, as well as a mark and recapture program, using radio collars, to inoculate against disease and track young panthers with hopes of saving this valuable part of the biota of south Florida's Everglades ecosystem.

Belden, R. "The Florida Panther." Audubon Wildlife Report 1988/1989. San Diego: Academic Press, 1988.

Fergus, Charles. Swamp Screamer: At Large with the Florida Panther. New York: North Point Press, 1996.

Miller, S. D., and D. D. Everett, eds. Cats of the World: Biology, Conservation, and Management. Washington, DC: National Wildlife Federation, 1986.

Florida Panther Net. [cited May 2002]. <http://www.panther.state.fl.us& #x003E;.

Florida Panther Society. [cited May 2002]. <http://www.atlantic.net/~oldfla /panther/panther.html>.

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