Florida+Panther+2010



By: Sarah V.

Panthers have short, light brown fur and a white muzzle. Male panthers weigh about 169 pounds, and females weigh about 80 pounds. They have many different names, such as the cougar, mountain lion, puma, and catamount. The panthers live in the lower tides, palm forests, and swamps of Southern Florida. They are mainly endangered because of getting hit by a car or fights between panthers for territory. Territory loss is another reason of why they’re endangered. Panthers were listed as endangered in 2008, and there are only about 80 -100 Florida panthers still living today. Reproduction consists of one male and two to five females. It requires 200 square miles of habitat. We can save them by conserving the population habitats of living panthers, but the panther requires neighboring areas of habitat. The Florida Panther is also a carnivore. Its favorite prey is the white-tailed deer. They also enjoy eating raccoons, armadillos and other small prey. It surrounds its prey and leaps on it. The panther grabs its throat to cut off air, and then takes its food to a safe place.