Florida PantherTop
This most endangered of all Florida's symbols is its State Animal, the Panther
which was chosen in 1982 by a vote of students throughout the state. Top
The Florida Panther is a large (six feet or longer), long-tailed, pale brown cat. Its
habitat is usually the same as that of the white-tailed deer, the mainstay of its diet.
Much folklore surrounds these seldom-seen cats, sometimes called "catamounts" or
"painters," and they have been persecuted out of fear and misunderstanding of
the role these large predators play in the natural ecosystem. Human population growth,
however, has been the primary threat to the panther's range and continues to diminish the
quality of existing habitats. Top
The Panther has been protected from legal hunting in Florida since 1958. It has been on
the federal endangered species list since 1967 and on the state's endangered list since
1973. The future of this large animal depends entirely on the management decisions that
are made today on its behalf. The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission is
responsible for management and preservation of this endangered State Animal, but only with
your support will the Florida Panther remain a part of our unique wildlife community. Top
Physical features:
The shape of the skull is characterized by a more exaggerated rise of the nasal
arch. Paws are smaller & legs slightly longer than its cousin. It has shorter hair, a
crooked tail, and a whorl of hair in the middle of its back. White flecks also appear on
the fur, but this is probably the result of ticks. Color of the coat varies from a rusty
buff to fawn gray, while the muzzle, chest, and underbelly is white. It is believed that
the crook and whorl are the result of recessive genes being expressed through inbreeding. Top
Tracks:
The shape of the print is asymmetrical, a 3 lobbed pad surrounded by 4 toes,
normally no claw marks show but if they appear they will be small sharp points. When
walking the hind paw is often placed in the print of the forepaw, one overlapping the
other. The forepaws are wider than the hind ones. The pad of an adult is 50/70mm on the
fore while the hind is 48/60mm. Bobcat tracks are usually smaller than that of a panther
kitten, whose prints would normally be along side its mothers or siblings. Dog tracks will
by symmetrical with blunt claw marks. Bear tracks have a wider, broader pad with 5 toes
and blunt claw marks. Top
Territorial markings:
Scat - a pile of leaves and earth raked up by the
hind paws and then urinated and/or defecated upon, the rake marks 6" in length. Other
markings are urine and droppings, tree and earth scrapings. Top
Remains of a kill: Bite marks will appear on the throat, back
of the neck or base of the skull. Tooth marks will be 2" apart. Top
Sounds:
The most identifiable is the panthers scream, this is an extreme vocal warning and
is not normally heard. Common communication is usually in the manner of low growls,
chirps, hisses, whistles, and purring sounds. Top
Sightings:
Are rare. But a full description and details of an encounter should be recorded
and passed on to the FGC. If a cat appears to be injured the authorities should be
notified - the FGC, NPS, Wildlife rescue, or police. Top
Food:
White-tail deer, feral hog, raccoons, armadillo, small alligator, other small
rodents and fowl. Deer or hog are the preferred prey and may be taken every 7 to 10 days,
the diet then being supplemented with smaller prey. A panther will usually kill its prey
with a bite to the throat or back of the neck, a large carcass is consumed over a period
of a few days depending on the conditions. Panthers need about 3000 calories per day,
pregnant females an extra 8000, + another 20,000 if they are growing kittens. Top
Habitat:
Upper dry land & wetland areas. Dry - hardwood hammock, pine flatwoods, saw
palmetto & cabbage palm thickets. Wet - cypress forest, thicket swamps &
freshwater marsh. Palmetto & drier scrub areas are often used for denning and day
beds. Panthers will wade and swim canals and swamps if necessary to find drier, more
secure resting places and hunt for food. Panthers prefer a secluded environment away from
people and are less likely to frequent low agricultural areas and citrus groves. Top
Social Behavior:
Panthers are primarily solitary animals, they do not mate for life or live in
prides but they do have a social structure. Each animal has a home range or territory
which it maintains and hunts within. These ranges will tend to overlap with potential
mates. Males will not tolerate other males and will fight which can be fatal. A male's
home range is more extensive covering of 250 sq. miles, increasing mating potential. But
females are more tolerant of each other and have a range of 70 - 200 sq. miles. Their
social order consists of resident/ more mature dominant animals who have established prime
territorial ranges. Then you have the Transient or subdominant animals between the ages of
2-5 years, who live on the peripheries and are relegated to poorer hunting areas where
there is a greater chance of human encroachment. Top
Panthers are most active at dusk and dawn, they can travel 15-20 miles a day, often moving
in a zig-zag pattern, though they tend to rest during the daytime, travel & hunt
during the cooler hours of the night. Panthers can swim and will cross wide bodies of
water. They have a keen sense of smell and a field of vision of 130 degrees, they have
excellent depth perception but lack the panoramic view that deer have. They can run up to
35 mph but only for a few hundred yards, their preferred method of hunting is to creep up
as close to their prey as possible and launch a short spring attack. Panthers do become
used to man-made noises and frequently cross roads. They are attracted to woodland fires,
and may stay near burned sites for days as deer and other prey are drawn to new
vegetation. When humans approach an area they will either be still, disappear, or attempt
to circle behind. Panthers can live up to between 12-15 years in the wild. A male can
measure 7-8 feet from the nose to tail tip and weight 100-160 lbs. Females are about 6
feet in length and weight between 60-100 lbs. Top
The Life Cycle
Females mature faster than males and have been known to conceive as early as 18 months,
but the average breeding age is 2-3 years. Though conception can take place anytime during
the year, the breeding season generally falls between October through March, and kittens
are often born in the spring. When the female is ready to mate she will leave special
scent markings which signal the male, they will then search each other out, mate, &
may stay and hunt together for a few days before going their separate ways. The gestation
period is 92-96 days. Panthers usually produce 1 litter every 2 years with an average
litter size of 1-3 kittens.
The mother prepares a den, a dry sheltered place such as a say palmetto thicket or
overhang, offering protection from rain & sun. Kittens are born blind, their coat is
spotted and eyes are blue. Eyes open within 2-3 weeks at which time they begin to walk.
The kittens are able to sustain their energy and body temperature for 2 days, which is an
amazing feat for an infant. She can leave the kittens for up to 36 hours and travel up to
5 miles to find food. Kittens are helpless and remain near the den for the first 2 months
of life. They are weaned and introduced to meat at 6-8 weeks, which the mother will bring
back to the denning area.
The first 6 months of the kittens' life tends to be the most dangerous. Panther kittens
have a better chance of survival in a fertile area with thick vegetation for cover &
large prey close to home. When the kittens are old enough they will travel with their
mother to learn the hunting and survival skills they will need. At 4-6 months of age the
markings begin to fade the coat become a buff color and the eyes turn from brown to pale
gold. At 18 months they are capable hunters and will shortly leave their mother, however
they may continue to travel together for a time. Eventually they will separate in search
of their own territory. Once a territory has been established, the boundaries must be
marked and maintained. Top
*Injuries due to cat fights, collisions with motor vehicles, illegal hunting, mercury poisoning, disease, death may also occur as a result of an allergic reaction to anesthesia.
*Harmful effects due to inbreeding could cause the loss of the species altogether: such as - abnormal semen, single testicle abnormality found in males; congenital heart disease, decrease in overall fitness making them more prone to disease. Top
*Pseudo rabies PRV - a virulent viral pathogen found in feral hogs. The virus is density dependent and is fatal to hogs, it is believed that it is transferred to panthers by eating hogs infected with the virus.
*Panleukopenia (feline distemper) - highly contagious, has the potential to be extremely dangerous for the entire panther population. Signs have shown up in 85% of those tested.
*They are also susceptible to Feline Leukemia, & FIV (feline AIDS virus)
*Calcivirus - is a respiratory disorder, shown up in 50% of those tested.
*Congenital Heart defect - a hole in the heart which is the result of inbreeding.
*Parasites - 7 species of tick, in large numbers can cause enimia. Tapeworm, hookworm & intestinal flukes. Ring worm.
*Starvation - occurs due to poor nutrition, ill health, & old age. Top
