The Florida Panther

The Florida Panther is a subspecies of the mountain lion. It is the state animal of the state of Florida and is one of the most endangered animals on earth. Other names for the panther include mountain lion, cougar, puma, painter and catamount.



This slender wild cat is powerfully built and very agile, as most felines are. They are tawny brown in color, have long bodies and unusually long back legs. These back legs give the panther the ability to have bursts of high-speed running and jumping, used to kill its prey. The Florida has a long neck, a small broad head and a long cylindrical tail with a black tip.

The Florida Panther is a habitat generalist - which means that it lives in a variety of habitats like forests, prairies and swamps. They like to be alone and will travel hundreds of miles within their home range. This characteristic requires a minimum space of 200 square miles (75 square miles for females) for the Florida Panther. That's a lot of space!

A long time ago, the panther could easily be found all over the eastern United States. Now, there are only 30 to 50 panthers left, all found in Florida or a state park or a zoo. With these numbers, the Florida Panther is on the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES list of animals due to the following:

1. Habitat loss - This is mainly due to the developing that people do. The Florida Panther's environment is lost because trees are cut down, land is taken away for home and buildings or for farming.

2. Collision with vehicles - As the Florida Panther roams the land in search for food or mates, it has to cross roads and highways, which are always deadly for the animal. Conservationist groups have been working to put up more Wildlife Crossing areas to make it safer for the panthers and other wildlife to cross safely under roads and highways.

3. Territorial disputes between panthers - Although this is normal behavior between male panthers, this has increased because habitat loss makes territorial areas for each male Florida Panther smaller and smaller.

4. Poisoning - Environmental toxins find themselves in the Florida Panther, which are fatal. From the pollution that people produce which goes in the air, it goes into the swamps and rivers of the environment and is absorbed. The animals that eat and drink from these places also absorb the poison. And the Florida Panther, at the top of the food chain, eats these same animals that have absorbed the toxins.

Florida Panther Fast Facts

Scientific Name: Puma Concolor Coryi
Type: Mammal
Diet: Carnivore
Height: 3.25 to 5.25 feet
Weight: 132 pounds
Range: Florida, USA
Diet: white deer, rabbit, racoon, armadillo, birds

To answer a crossword puzzle about the Florida Panther, click on the image or here.