|
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group, COPYRIGHT 2005 Thomson Gale, a part of The Thomson Corporation
Florida Panther
Puma concolor coryi
Florida Panther, photograph. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Reproduced by permission.
Description
The Florida panther (Puma [=Felis] concolor coryi) is a medium-sized subspecies of puma or mountain lion. It is unspotted and relatively dark tawny in color, with short, stiff hair. It has relatively longer legs, smaller feet, and a more slender tail than other subspecies. Adult males reach a length of 85 in(2.15 m) from their nose to the tip of their tail and may exceed 150 lb (68 kg) in weight, but typically average around 120 lb (54.5 kg). They stand about 24-28 in (60-70 cm) at the shoulder. Females are considerably smaller, with an average weight of 75 lb (34 kg) and length of 70 in (1.85 m). The skull of the Florida panther has been described as having a broad, flat, frontal region, and broad, high-arched or upward-expanded nasals.
Florida panther kittens are gray with dark brown or blackish spots and five bands around the tail. The spots gradually fade as the kittens grow older and are almost unnoticeable by the time they are six months old. At this age, their bright blue eyes slowly turn to the light-brown straw color of the eyes of adults.
Three external characters are often observed in Florida panthers in southwest Florida which are not found in combination in other subspecies of P. con-color. These characters are: a right angle crook at the terminal end of the tail; a whorl of hair in the middle of the back; and irregular, light flecking on the head, nape, and shoulders. The light flecking may be a result of scarring from tick bites. The kinked tail and cowlicks are considered manifestations of inbreeding.
Behavior
Panthers are essentially solitary animals. Interactions between panthers were infrequent during a study ranging from 1985 through 1990. Most interactions occurred between adult females and their kittens. Interactions between adult male and female panthers were second in frequency. Interactions between males and females lasted from one to sevendays and usually resulted in pregnancy. Documented interactions between males were not uncommon and sometimes resulted in serious injury or death. Between 1981 and 1996, intraspecific aggression was the second greatest cause of panther mortality. Aggressive encounters between females have not been documented.
The pattern of distribution involves several males maintaining large, mutually exclusive home ranges containing several adult females and their dependent offspring. This spatial arrangement seems to be a prerequisite for successful reproduction.
Males are polygynous. Breeding activity peaks in fall and winter. Parturition is distributed throughout the year with 81% of births occurring between March and July. Litter sizes range from one to four kittens, with a mean of 2.2 kittens per successful litter. Intervals between litters range from 16 to 37 months.
Den sites are usually located in dense, understory vegetation, typically of saw palmetto. Den sites...
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|
Bookmark this article
Print this article
Link to this article
Email this article
Digg It!
Add to del.icio.us
RSS
