THE FLORIDA PANTHER
by J.E. Rogers
I have
been away for the past two weeks, and I’m about to give you a hint as to where
I have been. I spent my time on the west coast of Florida, north of Tampa.
There’s a lot of land there, and both and I wondered about the wildlife that
might be wandering in the acreage along the main roads. Then I thought about
Florida’s critically endangered Panther, which is a subspecies of the Puma. I
saw one while visiting Big Cat Rescue. They are beautiful.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Let’s
first clear up the name of this critter. You may have referred to this small
cat as a Mountain Lion, or puma, or cougar, or panther. It is known by more
names than any other mammal. Its Latin name is Puma concolor,
and is the largest of the small cat species. It is, however, the largest cat in
the United States, and the fourth largest cat in the world. The adult female
weighs 64 to 100 pounds, whereas the male will weigh from 100 to 159 pounds.
Males grow at a faster rate than females and continue to grow for a longer
period of time (Wikipedia). Proportionately, panthers have the largest hind
legs of any of the wild cats. This muscular hindquarter allows them to leap up
to 15 feet vertically and 45 feet horizontally.
Photo Credit: Michaelstone428 (Wikipedia)
According
to an article I read on the Defenders of Wildlife website, the Florida Panther
is in serious trouble with only 180 left in the wild. This makes the Florida
Panther one of the most endangered mammals on the planet. Although the Florida
Panther once roamed the woodlands and swamps of the southeastern U.S., they are
now confined to an area in southern Florida.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
I read that cars
are the panther’s biggest problem and there is a movement which is attempting
to provide safe passage across roads and highways. It is also important to note
that like many other endangered animals, habitat destruction is the biggest
cause of diminution populations. The Florida Panther needs space to survive. The
only natural predator is the American Alligator.
Below is
a video about the current Florida Panther situation produced by the Nature
Conservancy.
To learn
more about the Florida Panther, visit the following sites.
Big Cat Rescue, Tampa, Florida: https://bigcatrescue.org/category/the-sanctuary-cats/cougars-the-sanctuary-cats/
Big Cat Rescue, Tampa, Florida: https://bigcatrescue.org/category/the-sanctuary-cats/cougars-the-sanctuary-cats/
The
Nature Conservancy has a website dedicated to helping the Florida Panther
survive. You can visit them here:
Enjoy!
Jeanne E.
Rogers, Award Winning Author
The Sword of
Demelza, The Gift of Sunderland and
One Hot Mess, A
Child’s Environmental Fable
Where Endangered
Animal Heroes Roam the Pages!
