Florida Panther: In Depth

Like most animals, Florida panthers need food, water, shelter, and access to mates to survive. Panthers are strictly carnivores and eat only meat. About 90 percent of their diet is feral hog, white-tailed deer, raccoon, and armadillo. Occasionally they consume rabbits, rats, and birds, and occasionally even alligators. In south Florida, panthers prefer mature upland forests (hardwood hammocks and pinelands) over other habitat types. Upland forests provide dry ground for resting and denning, and prey density is higher than it is in lower habitats where flooding is more common. Much of the prime panther habitat is north of Interstate Highway 75, and panthers in that area weigh more, are healthier, and successfully raise more kittens than panthers that live primarily south of the highway and feed mostly on small prey. Panthers in Everglades National Park are smaller and fewer because much of the park consists of wetlands, while panthers need uplands in order to thrive. Although the Long Pine Key area within the park provides dry upland habitat, hogs are scarce in the park and deer are limited to dry or low water level areas. A panther has to kill and eat about 10 raccoons to equal the food value of 1 deer. To maintain their health and fitness, adult panthers need to consume the equivalent of about 1 deer or hog per week. Females with kittens may need twice this amount.

The recent history of the Florida panther documents the success of the genetic restoration program. Historically, natural gene exchange occurred between the Florida panther and other contiguous species of Puma concolor as individuals dispersed among populations and bred. This natural mechanism for gene exchange maintained genetic health within populations and minimized inbreeding. However, as the population declined, gene exchange between subspecies could no longer occur because the Florida panther had become isolated from neighboring subspecies such as the Texas panther. Inbreeding accelerated, resulting in genetic depression, declining health, reduced survivability, and low numbers. If action was not taken to address the loss of natural gene exchange, it was feared that the species would soon be extinct. In 1995 when the genetic restoration program began, the population of panthers had dwindled to only 20–30 individuals in the wild. In 1995, eight female Texas panthers were released in south Florida. Five of the eight Texas panthers produced litters and at least 20 kittens were born. By 2007, the Florida panther population had responded by tripling to about 100 animals. The genetic restoration program restored genetic variability and vitality for a healthier, more resilient population.

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