In the early 1980s, scientists began to trap panthers and collar them with radio transmitters. By monitoring the cats electronically, scientists learned that the panther uses a wide variety of habitats, from forested uplands to cypress swamps. They especially need cover, particularly forested uplands in southwest Florida, where they hide and stalk their prey, deer and feral hogs.
In 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved a recovery plan for the Florida panther. The plan called for the establishment of three self-sustaining populations within the cat's historic range.
Today, the panther continues to be a victim of habitat loss, environmental contaminants, motor vehicle collisions, prey scarcity and immune deficiencies. Wildlife managers in Florida test many tactics to eliminate these problems, such as setting aside land for panther habitat and building passes under highways where panthers are most often killed. Biologists have also struggled to slow the loss of genetic viability in the remaining panther population. With so few animals, panthers have been inbreeding for decades. With the declining diversity of their gene pool, problems such as infertility and heart abnormalities increased.
In 1989, data collected from 29 radio-collared panthers indicated that the population was losing genetic diversity at a rate of three to seven percent yearly. Researchers believed that the gene pool would continue to erode even if the population stabilized, leading to extinction within 40 years. Three years later, biologists made a controversial decision and introduced several female Texas cougars - the closest remaining cougar population that had historically shared the panther's range. Several hybrid litters have since been produced, and the introduction seems to have corrected some of the problems experts generally attribute to inbreeding. Experts are still debating the role of the Texas cougars in panther recovery.
Panthers are still at great risk of extinction. The two major causes of death are road kills and territorial conflicts between the cats. The only way to protect the Florida panther is to expand their available habitat. While there is widespread popular support for panther reintroduction in Florida, some people are still concerned about introducing the cat to new areas, fearing the panther will bring with it restrictions on private property uses and potential interactions with livestock, pets, or human safety.
Panther is a generic term and does not apply to a single species. It may refer to a lion - panthera leo
a tiger - panthera tigris
a leopard - panthera pardus
a jaguar - panthera onca
a snow leopard - panthera uncia
To which species of panther were you referring?
A panther is a cat. Which means it's a night animal.
The main animal that is a threat to a panther would be man.
The panther is part of the animal kingdom.
Yes, The Florida Panther is the State Animal of the U.S. State of Florida.
One animal ending with her is a panther.
the answer is dionysus sacred animal is the panther not a lepord
Tigers will kill and eat any large cat that dares enter their territory.
It may have been an albino mountain lion, known in Florida as a panther. However, it is not a panther and belongs to an entirely different genus. Albino mountain lions are rare but not unknown.
The Latin word for lion-panther is "leopardus," which refers to the animal known as the leopard.
No, panther's are not deciduous (a term used for plants that drop their leaves in the fall).
panther
a black panther