Range Florida Panther Habitat
Florida panthers utilize a diversity of warm climate habitat living in wetlands swamps upland forests and stands of saw palmetto.
Range florida panther habitat. Florida panthers were heavily hunted after 1832 when a bounty on panthers was created. It prefers areas with lots of cover. Today only about 120 230 adult panthers exist primarily in southwest florida. Range of the florida panther.
Florida panther puma concolor coryi. Endangered species act 1973. Young males in search of their own territories have been documented in other parts of florida but most of. Florida panther member of a population of large new world cats of the species puma concolor family felidae confined to a small isolated and inbred group in southern florida and protected by the u s.
Today the only place with wild florida panthers is the southwestern tip of florida. Florida panthers inhabit large forested communities and wetlands florida natural areas inventory 2001. Freshwater swamp forests pinelands and tropical hardwood hammocks are the habitats of the florida panther. The florida panther is a subspecies of puma concolor also known as mountain lion cougar or puma and represents the only known breeding population of puma in the eastern united states.
Generally florida panthers live in forested areas. In the southeastern u s panthers formerly ranged throughout florida as far west as arkansas and as far north as south carolina. While its spatial geographic range is small it can be found in a variety of habitats. Habitat the florida panther lives in both wetlands and drylands.
Males can weigh up to 73 kg 161 lb and live within a range that includes the big cypress national preserve everglades national park the florida panther national wildlife refuge picayune strand state forest rural. Specifically the florida panther lives in the southern part of florida. Current range the breeding range of the florida panther population is currently restricted to habitat south of the caloosahatchee river in southern florida. The florida panther is a north american cougar p.
In south florida it lives in pinelands tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. The florida panther is an endangered species. Recovery efforts to date have successfully contributed to a significant increase in the panther population which now occupies most available habitat south of caloosahatchee river. These habitats are for.
Perceived as a threat to humans livestock and game animals the species was nearly extinct by the mid 1950s. It lives in cypress forests thicket swamps and freshwater marshes. The historic range of the florida panther extended from florida to louisiana throughout the gulf coast states and arkansas. They can be found in south and parts of central florida although male panthers have been documented as far north as central georgia.
The home range of male panthers is about 520 square km 200 square miles or 128 494 acres and the. Today the primary threats to the remaining panther population are habitat loss fragmentation and degradation.
