Panther Facts

• The Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi, is a subspecies of cougar.
• Florida panthers were once found throughout the southeastern United States but the population is now reduced to about 30 to 50 animals isolated in southern Florida.
• Habitat loss and hunting over the past century are responsible for population declines. The remaining panthers are threatened by genetic defects resulting from inbreeding and by mercury poisoning.
• Kittens are light brown, or tawny, with spots to help them hide in the vegetation. Adults are tawny with lighter shades on their belly and chest.
• Adult males can weigh up to 150 pounds; females typically weigh less than 100 pounds.
• Panthers are skilled hunters. In Florida, deer and wild hogs are the preferred food. In some areas, they must subsist on small animals such as raccoons, but these panthers are not as healthy as those that hunt large game.
• Panthers are solitary animals. Adults maintain large home ranges in which they live and hunt.
• A female is ready to breed by about 2 1/2 years of age but must establish a territory before she can raise kittens successfully.
• Females give birth to a litter of up to four kittens after a three-month pregnancy. Males do not help raise the young.
• Florida panthers are killed by cars and trucks and occasionally killed by hunters. The remaining panthers have many health problems, mostly related too poor habitat conditions and genetic defects.
• Plans to save the panther focus on securing and enhancing habitat, breeding them in captivity and reintroducing them in the wild, and increasing genetic variability through cross-breeding with closely related subspecies.