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Florida’s Mountain Lions
The Florida panther is the only known breeding population of mountain lions in the United States east of the Mississippi River. This tiny population survived early extermination by people due to the highly impenetrable Florida Everglades. It is also the only lion population to have federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. In the 1980s, the Florida panther population was down to only a few dozen inbred cats, and researchers released female lions from Texas to help bolster the population. Today, Florida panther numbers have rebounded to about 200 panthers, but their habitat continues to shrink; resulting in increased roadkill and fights to the death with other panthers for territory.
Hope may be on the horizon for these cats with the Florida Wildlife Corridors Act, which aims to create safe passage for the cats to get from South Florida to Georgia where more abundant habitat lies.
Learn more about current mountain lion policy, history, laws, and habitat.
Status
Florida FWC investigates disorder impacting panthers
The FWC is investigating a disorder detected in some Florida panthers and bobcats. All the affected animals have exhibited some degree of walking abnormally or difficulty coordinating their back legs.
As of August 2019, the FWC has confirmed neurological damage in one panther and one bobcat. Additionally, trail camera footage has captured eight panthers (mostly kittens) and one adult bobcat displaying varying degrees of this condition. Videos of affected cats were collected from multiple locations in Collier, Lee and Sarasota counties, and at least one panther photographed in Charlotte County could also have been affected. The FWC has been reviewing videos and photographs from other areas occupied by panthers but to date the condition appears to be localized as it is only documented in three general areas.
The FWC is testing for various potential toxins, including neurotoxic rodenticide (rat pesticide), as well as infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies.
The public can help with this investigation by submitting trail camera footage or other videos that happen to capture animals that appear to have a problem with their rear legs. Files less than 10MB can be uploaded to our panther sighting webpage at MyFWC.com/PantherSightings. If you have larger files, please contact the FWC at Panther.Sightings@MyFWC.com.
Bringing the Florida Panther Back from the Brink
In 1950, Puma concolor coryi’s status changed from a “nuisance species” to that of a game animal. This status change halted indiscriminate killing, but the Florida panther wasn’t really protected until 1958 when it was listed as a state endangered species, and then later when it attained federal listing as an endangered subspecies on March 11, 1967.
In order to consider delisting the Florida panther from the endangered species list, the federal recovery plan requires:
Three viable, self-sustaining populations of at least 240 individuals (adults and subadults) each have been established and subsequently maintained for a minimum of twelve years.
Sufficient habitat quality, quantity, and spatial configuration to support these populations is retained / protected or secured for the long-term.
Exchange of individuals and gene flow among subpopulations must be natural (i.e., not manipulated or managed).
1988, seven wild mountain lions were caught in west Texas, sterilized to prevent breeding, and released into northern Florida to study the feasibility of relocating panthers.
The results from this study were used to design and implement a second study in February, 1993 to evaluate the use of captive-raised animals in reestablishing a panther population in northern Florida and southern Georgia. Nineteen mountain lions, including 6 raised in captivity and conditioned for release into the wild, were released into the northern Florida study area and monitored through June 1995 (Belden and McCown 1996). This study found that reestablishment of additional Florida panther populations was biologically feasible.
In 1995, in an effort to reverse the effects of inbreeding, eight young-adult, non-pregnant, female, Texas mountain lions were captured and introduced into the Florida panther population.
A 1996 status report on the Florida panther by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission noted that the only documented breeding population of Florida panthers remained in southern Florida from Lake Okeechobee southward, primarily in the Big Cypress and Everglades physiographic regions. At the time it was estimated that only 30 to 50 animals, living in an area of roughly 4,000+ square miles, still remained. The Commission’s analysis indicated that, “without intervention, the Florida panther population had a high probability of becoming extinct in 25 to 40 years.”
The report went on to state:
The Florida panther faces the threat of extinction on 3 fronts. First, there is continual loss of panther habitat through human development. This continuing decline in available habitat reduces the carrying capacity and, therefore, the numbers of panthers that can survive. Second, genetic variation is probably decaying at a rate that is causing inbreeding depression (reduction of viability and fecundity of offspring of breeding pairs that are closely related genetically) and precluding continued adaptive evolution (Seal and Lacy 1989). Third, panther numbers may already be so low that random fluctuations could lead to extinction.
Due to many factors, including the influx of new genetic material, increased public awareness, innovative wildlife corridors across deadly highways, and the acquisition of critical panther habitat within the primary zone, Florida’s panther population has, at the very least, doubled in size and stepped back from the brink of extinction. However, the inability of the species to expand beyond its tiny refuge in the Everglades will keep it on the endangered species list for a long time to come.
Human-Caused Mortalities in Florida
Now that the Florida panther is listed as a federally protected species, the number one cause of panther mortality in Florida is lack of sufficient habitat.
Florida’s crowded conditions force young panthers into situations where they have to fight older more experienced panthers to establish their territories, or if they do disperse, put them at risk of being killed in an automobile collision. The five-year average of annual panther mortalities is 25 per year, with, on average, 17 of those animals being killed by motorists.
After automobile accidents, intraspecific aggression is responsible for the next largest number of panther deaths.
Puma concolor is a species which, after dispersal, does not normally come into contact with other panthers except to breed, or on the part of females, raise their young.
Male panthers will fight and attempt to kill other panthers that enter established territories. Kittens are also at risk from male panthers since their deaths will allow their mothers to breed again. On average, intraspecific aggression is responsible for around 6 panther deaths per year, that we know of.
MOUNTAIN LION MORTALITIES IN FLORIDA
1990 – AUGUST 28, 2012
TOTAL
207
Vehicular Trauma
154
Illegal Killing
7
Natural or Intraspecific Strife
90
Research
1
Unknown / Unspecified
45
Sport Hunting
0
Depredation
0
Public Safety
0
Wildlife Services
0
History
Historically, Florida panthers were native to the Southeastern states including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia into South Carolina as well as Florida. Like many other populations of mountain lions across North America, these cats were extirpated from their original range under the persecution and killing regimes propagated by early European settlers, who immediately set about fearfully clearing the lands of all large predators.
Indigenous tribes occupied the land for thousands of years as nomadic hunters and farmers before Europeans arrived. These tribes hunted mammoths, bison, giant tortoises, rabbits and alligators among other animals. Before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans originally lived in what is now Florida include the Calusa, Timucua, Creek, Choctaw and Seminole.
The Choctaw knew the panther as koi, the Muskogee Creek knew the panther as kaccv, the Timucua called panther yaraha.
The Seminole were originally an alliance of northern Florida and southern Georgia tribes who banded together in the 1700s to fight European invaders from Spain and France. The original homelands of the Creek and other tribes were in northern Florida but since tribes of southern Florida had been mainly shipped to Cuba by the Spanish, the Seminoles retreated south, where descendants remain today. Florida remained under Spanish rule until 1821.
Hunting panthers was historically part of the Seminole religious and cultural tradition where the hunter even ate the panther to gain spiritual knowledge and energy of that animal. In 1987 Seminole Chief Billie was prosecuted by the U.S. government for killing and eating an endangered Florida panther. Part of the defense argument pointed out the irony of the panther becoming endangered due to the white man’s commercial development and habitat destruction of the Everglades while a Native American, Chief Billie, was the only person ever to be prosecuted for killing an endangered Florida panther.
Spanish Occupation
The first recorded sighting of Puma concolor on the North American continent occurred in Florida. In 1513, a Spanish conquistador, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca spotted a “lion” near the Florida Everglades.
That sighting was the beginning of negative interaction between humans and panthers in this state for more than 400 years. During that time period Puma concolor coryi was shot on sight by livestock owners, hunted for a bounty, lost their primary prey species (white-tailed deer) due to a legislative order, and had their ever-dwindling habitat degraded or changed into human settlements and agricultural development.
The U.S. acquired Florida from Spain by treaty in 1821. After that, settlers began to arrive by steamboat in the 1830s and land was cleared for Florida’s first railroads. A bounty was immediately placed on panthers in 1832 in all Florida counties and the unregulated eradication of the cats had begun. In 1887, the State of Florida authorized a $5 bounty on every panther killed and the only thing that gave panthers respite from persecution was the deep, dark Everglades. This vast area of remote swampland remained an impenetrable tract of safety for the few panthers who were able to escape relentless persecution and retreat to the southern tip of Florida.
In the early 1990s, the panther population was down to less than 50 individuals. Genetic defects from inbreeding were making reproduction difficult and put the population in greater jeopardy for diseases and early death. Eight female mountain lions from Texas were relocated to southern Florida to help revive the gene pool and all of their offspring are considered to be Florida panthers.
Today, the Florida panther is one of the most endangered mammals in the U.S. with only an estimated 100-160 individuals remaining in the wild.
Fur trade
In the 1600s, the fur trade in the Americas became globalized and furs obtained from Native Americans were shipped to Europe where they were in high demand. Europeans imported goods the Indians wanted and were able to trade for the furs. In 1602, the Company of New France was given a royal charter and exclusive trading rights from Florida to the Arctic.
Bounty
In 1832 a bounty was placed on panthers in all counties. Then in 1887, the State of Florida authorized a $5 bounty on every panther killed.
Sport and Recreational Hunting
In 1950, the Florida panther was regulated as a game species with hunting seasons. Soon after that, in 1958, due to the decreasing population of the species, the panther was listed as a state endangered species. In 1967 the Florida panther was listed as endangered by the Federal Government and immediately added to the newly created Federal Endangered Species list upon its creation in 1973.
Florida’s History of Panther Management
The first recorded sighting of Puma concolor on the North American continent occurred in Florida. In 1513, a Spanish conquistador, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca spotted a “lion” near the Florida Everglades.
That sighting was possibly the last benign interaction between humans and panthers in this state for more than 400 years. During that time period Puma concolor coryi was shot on sight by livestock owners, hunted for a bounty, lost their primary prey species (white-tailed deer) due to a legislative order, and had their ever-dwindling habitat degraded or changed into human settlements and agricultural development.
The Florida panther didn’t receive any protection from humans prior to 1958 when it was listed as an endangered species under state law. By 1996, there were only 30 to 50 panthers still alive in Florida, and the only reason that many survived is because the Everglades have long prevented easy access to mankind.
Important Dates in the History of the Florida Panther
1832 – Bounty placed on panthers in all Florida counties.
1887 – State of Florida authorizes a $5 bounty for every panther killed.
1937 – Florida legislature passes a bill to eradicate the white-tailed deer due to disease.
1946 – Florida’s panther listed as a subspecies of Felis concolor in both North and South America.
1950 – Panther regulated as a game species in Florida.
1958 – Florida panther listed as a state endangered species.
1967 – The Florida panther is listed as endangered by the Federal Government.
1973 – Florida panther is added to newly created Federal Endangered Species List.
1981 – First Florida panther recovery plan.
1982 – Based on a vote by Florida’s schoolchildren, Puma concolor coryi is designated as the state animal.
1986 – Three wild-caught, female Texas mountain lions are brought to Florida to test the possibilities of captive breeding.
1988 – Seven wild-caught mountain lions, captured in west Texas are released in northern Florida to study relocation possibilities.
1989 – The Florida panther National Wildlife Refuge is established.
1991 – Florida panther license plates go on sale.
1993 – 19 mountain lions, (11 females and 8 sterilized males – both captive-raised as well as wild-caught) are introduced into the local panther population to study the biological feasibility of reintroduction.
1995 – Eight wild-caught female mountain lions are captured and released in an effort to reverse the effects of inbreeding.
1996 – The Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission estimates that there are only 30 – 50 panthers remaining in Florida.
2013 – Environmental groups file lawsuit to protect the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Florida panther from off-road vehicles.
Habitat
Scientific Name: Puma concolor coryi
Note: The Florida panther was originally considered a subspecies of Puma concolor. Due to increased knowledge of the species, as well as advances in genetic research, scientists no longer consider the Florida panther as a unique subspecies though it still maintains the name.
Panther Habitat and Population in Florida
Many government agencies and NGOs assert that there are between 100 to 160 panthers residing in Florida. However, in 2008, a report by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission on the status of the Florida panther stated that the panther population was estimated to be approximately 100 animals and had remained at this level for several years. It was also implied that a large increase in population size was not expected or feasible because much of the available panther habitat in south Florida was currently occupied at capacity. The officially recognized capacity limits for the panther’s designated habitat zones only allow for the accommodation of a maximum of 84 animals.
While the Florida panther once roamed throughout many of the southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina), it was hunted to extinction everywhere except in the remote southwest corner of Florida where it was protected from humans by the impenetrable Everglades swamp.
Today, an area just short of 2,200 square miles is essential habitat for the Florida panther. This habitat has been broken down into three distinct categories: primary, secondary, and dispersal.
Secondary Zone
If restored, might be able to support 25 to 30 panthers, but current conditions could not support this.
Dispersal Zone
150,000+ acres immediately north of the Caloosahatchee River.
Should function as a wildlife corridor to allow panthers to move out of south Florida.
Cannot support a permanent population.
Within the Florida panther’s remaining habitat, the species appear to prefer hardwood hammocks and pinelands. The saw palmetto plant is used extensively by panthers for resting, stalking prey, and as dens for young panthers.
Law
Generally, treatment of wildlife in the State of Florida is governed by the Florida Statutes – the state’s collection of all the laws passed by its legislature. Since our summary below may not be completely up to date, you should be sure to review the most current law for the State of Florida.
You can check the statutes directly at a state-managed website. These statutes are searchable. Be sure to use the name “panther” to accomplish your searches.
The Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is a full-time, bicameral legislative body. The lower chamber – the House of Representatives – consists of 120 members who serve 2-year terms. Representatives are limited to four terms. The Republican Party has controlled the Florida House of Representatives since 1997. The upper chamber – the Senate – is made up of 40 members who serve 4-year terms. Florida state senators are limited to two terms. The Republican Party has controlled the Florida Senate since 1995. Information on how to contact your member of the Florida House of Representatives can be found here, and information on how to contact your state senator can be found here.
The Constitution of the State of Florida governs when the legislature is to meet. Fourteen days after each general election, the legislature convenes in order to organize itself and elect officers. Regular sessions convene each year on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. Regular sessions are limited to 60 consecutive days. Special sessions may be called by the governor or by the vote of three-fifths of the members of each chamber of the legislature. Special sessions are limited to 20 consecutive days unless three-fifths of the members of each chamber vote to extend the session.
Road Mortalities
Road mortalities are recorded in Florida and can be found by visiting Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Florida Panther Pulse page.
No Roads to Ruin
According to No Roads to Ruin, “In 2019, the Florida state legislature passed a bill to authorize the design and construction of three new toll roads through the heart of rural Florida. If built, these new toll roads will destroy large swaths of Florida’s last remaining rural lands and communities, pollute waterways, and threaten endangered wildlife, including the iconic Florida panther.
The bill creating the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance (M-CORES) was signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 17, 2019, despite a veto request from over 90 organizations and businesses from across Florida.”
We are actively involved in the No Roads to Ruin campaign that is working to halt the development of the toll roads and instead preserving critical panther habitat. Learn more by visiting: http://noroadstoruin.org/
2021-04-29: Update from the No Roads to Ruin Coalition
We wanted to share an update from the No Roads to Ruin Coalition of which we are a part. Along with the Coalition, we have actively been working to halt the development of the toll roads that would further fragment crucial habitat that Florida panthers and other wildlife rely on for survival.
We are eternally grateful for all the time and effort No Roads to Ruin Coalition partners and individual activists have devoted to this cause. We honor them and their work to ensure a better future for Florida.
The No Roads to Ruin Steering Committee did not support SB 100 because the bill did not stop all of the roads at the heart of M-CORES. SB 100 moves our state in the wrong direction and leaves North Florida’s rural communities and natural resources at risk. Florida needs a 21st Century transportation policy that takes us away from new roads through environmentally sensitive areas and towards sustainable transportation alternatives. As such, with two of three toll road threats remaining, we cannot proclaim that its passage and expected signing by the Governor as a triumph.
Only two years ago many of the same Florida Legislators who supported SB 100 voted nearly unanimously to approve the three Roads to Ruin. The 2021 Florida legislature had the opportunity to fully repeal M-CORES with the introductions of SB 1030/HB 763. However, neither bill was ever heard in committee.
Removing the toll road that would have imperiled the Western Everglades and existentially threatened the Florida panther is a tremendous relief. With fewer than 230 Florida panthers remaining, protecting them and their habitat is critically important for their survival and recovery. Removal of an imminent Southwest Central Corridor helps with this fight.
What SB 100 does and does not do:
Eliminates the M-CORES program but not all the Roads to Ruin included in the program.
Eliminates the Southwest-Central Florida Connector in its entirety.
Keeps the Northern Turnpike extension on the books with a different timetable.
Does not eliminate the threat previously presented by the M-CORES Suncoast Connector.
Provides US-19 north from the terminus of the Suncoast Parkway to I-10 as a way to replace the M-CORES Suncoast Connector.
Includes the M-CORES task force recommendation of avoiding conservation lands with respect to upgrades of arterial highways, but only “to the greatest extent practicable,” and not specifically to the US 19 project.
Frees up money once earmarked for M-CORES to be available for needed road projects throughout the state.This fight isn’t over.
We must press on together to protect our natural resources and local communities from the Roads to Ruin.”
Library
Scientific Research
Bartareau, T. (n.d.). Growth in body length and mass of the Florida panther: an evaluation of different models and sexual size dimorphism.
Clark, J. D., & Manen, F. T. Van. (2016). Florida Panther Habitat Use in Response to Prescribed Fire Author ( s ): Catherine S . Dees , Joseph D . Clark and Frank T . Van Manen Published by?: Wiley on behalf of the Wildlife Society Stable URL?: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3803287 Accessed?: 05-03-2016 22?: 54 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use , available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info / about / policies / terms . jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars , researchers , and students discover , use , and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive . We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship . For more information about JSTOR , please contact support@jstor.org . Wiley and Wildlife Society are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize , preserve and extend access to The Journal of Wildlife All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions, 65(1), 141–147.
Smith, T. R. (1989). Smith and Bass panthers , estimated at 6-9 . Despite low numbers , the stability , productivity , and dispersal potential of panthers in Everglades National Park potentially makes significant contributions to the size , genetic diversity , and long-term conservation of a wild population in south Florida . Key words?: carrying capacity , distribution , Everglades , Florida panther , landscape , mountain lion Although Florida panthers ( Felis concolor coryi ) historically occurred throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains of the southeastern United states ( Young and Goldman 1946 ), their distribution appeared to have been reduced to the Everglades region of south Flolrida by the mid-20th century ( Goldman 1946 , Tinsley 1970 ). Systematic investigation of observations and field sign Subsequently confirmed this assumption and indicated that , although panthers still were found across much of Florida , established , potentially viable ( sub ) populations of the species were limited to the Big Cypress Swamp and Everglades in the vicinity and south of Lake Okeechobee ( Schemni . tz 1974 , Layne and McCauley 1976 , Nowak and McBride 1976 , Belden 1978 , McBride 1985?; but see Belden and Williams 1976 ). Persistence of a panther population in the Big Cypress- Everglades ecosystem appears to be primarily related to the remote , largely protected nature of the area rather than its quality per se as panther habitat . Early students of the Subject maintained that the extirpation of panthers in Florida and.