Florida Panther Habitat Loss

Florida panthers once prowled and flourished in woodlands and swamps throughout the southeast.

Florida panther habitat loss. The florida panther is the sunshine state s animal and it s also in trouble. 1 weather alerts 1 closings delays. Florida panthers were heavily hunted after 1832 when a bounty on panthers was created. When european settlers arrived in the 1600s the clear cutting building and other human activities that destroy degrade and fragment habitat began and the fear and misconceptions that.

There s less and less habitat for them and these. Florida panthers struggling with loss of their habitat. The florida panther is the only puma also known as cougar and mountain lion population east of the mississippi. Perceived as a threat to humans livestock and game animals the species was nearly extinct by the mid 1950s.

Today the primary threats to the remaining panther population are habitat loss fragmentation and degradation. According to dave onorato of the florida panther project these encounters are becoming less rare because of the big cat s loss of habitat. Florida panthers are the only breeding group of pumas in the eastern united states. Florida panther member of a population of large new world cats of the species puma concolor family felidae confined to a small isolated and inbred group in southern florida and protected by the u s.