Why panther are endangered

Florida panthers are carnivores. They are skilled at hunting white-tailed deer, feral hogs, raccoons , and other medium-sized mammals and reptiles.

Florida panthers also stalk birds. Florida panthers are territorial and solitary, unless a pair is mating or a female is raising kittens. They use pheromones and physical signs like claw markings or feces to define their territory. Males roam much larger territories than the females. A male can make a territory more than to square miles in size. In the mating season of November to March, males venture out to find a female mate. After they breed, the female is pregnant for about three months.

She gives birth to a litter of one to three kittens. Not all kittens will survive into adulthood. At birth, the kittens are born covered in dark spots. The spots help camouflage the kittens under forest debris. The kittens are vulnerable to predators, especially right after birth when they are blind. As they develop, the spots fade away and they look more and more like adult panthers. The kittens stay with their mother for about a year and a half before they leave to form their own territories.

Florida panthers live about 12 years in the wild, but with such a small population of Florida panthers left, they are very susceptible to disease, genetic disorders, and car accidents. The Florida panther is the only subspecies of mountain lion that remains in the eastern United States.

Hunting decimated the population badly, and it was one of the first species added to the U. The Florida panther's current status is listed as endangered. Originally from western Texas and found throughout the southeastern states; they are now only in Florida.

Panthers feed mostly on white-tailed deer, wild hogs, rabbits, raccoons, armadillos and birds. They are solitary, territorial and often travel at night. Males have a home range of up to square miles and females about 50 to square miles. Panthers reach sexual maturity at about 3 years. Mating season is December through February. Gestation lasts about 90 days and females bear kittens. Young stay with the mother for about two years. Females do not mate again until the young have left.

Threats to panthers include habitat loss because of human development, collision with vehicles, parasites, feline distemper, feline calicivirus an upper respiratory infection and other diseases. The biggest threat to their survival is human encroachment.

Historical persecution reduced this wide-ranging, large carnivore to a small area of south Florida. This created a tiny isolated population that became inbred. Reduced speeding zones, construction of panther underpasses, public education, captive breeding programs and research are efforts being taken to save the Florida panther from extinction.

Black Panthers. The black panther is the common name for a black specimen a genetic variant of several species of cats. California Condor. Florida Manatee. Florida Panther. Canada Lynx. Freshwater Fishes. Freshwater Mussels. Golden-Cheeked Warbler.

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