| SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON NAME: | Florida panther, mountain lion, puma, cougar | | KINGDOM: | Animalia | | PHYLUM: | Chordata | | CLASS: | Mammalia | | ORDER: | Carnivora | | FAMILY: | Felidae | | GENUS SPECIES: | Felis concolor (plain - refers to the coat color); subspecies | |
|
| |
| |
| DESCRIPTION: | Mountain lions are the largest species of cat native to North America. Their coats are typically a uniform silver-gray, tawny or reddish-brown in color although some are occasionally melanistic (black) and rarely albino. Kittens tend to have a spotted coat and blue eyes. Physically, Florida panthers differ slightly from other Felis concolor subspecies - they are darker in color, they have longer legs with smaller feet, and are lighter in weight. | | MALE | Adult males tend to be larger than mature females. | |
| SIZE: | | | MALE | Mature males measure more than 2 m (6.6 ft.) from the nose to the tip of the tail, and stand 60-70 cm (24-28 in.) at the shoulders. | | FEMALE | Adult females measure about 1.8 m (6 ft.) in length from the nose to the tip of the tail. | |
| WEIGHT: | | | MALE | Wild adult males weigh from 48-67 kg (106-148 lb.) | | FEMALE | Adult females weigh about 29-45 kg (65-100 lb.) | |
| DIET: | An adult Florida panther needs to eat about 35-50 deer-sized animals each year, although females with cubs may need twice that amount. Besides white-tailed deer, Florida panthers may eat rabbits, wild hogs, birds, armadillos, rats, carrion, and grass. There is even a documented report of the panthers eating two alligators in the Everglades National Park. | |
| GESTATION: | Gestational period 90-95 days; On average, females give birth to 1-4 kittens and care for their kittens in dens usually in areas of dense palmetto trees. | | ESTRAL PERIOD | Estral period 8 days, the cycle lasts 23 days. Females of this species are induced ovulators - triggered by copulation an egg is released from the ovary. | | NURSING DURATION | 9-12 months (wean) | |
| SEXUAL MATURITY: | | | MALE | 26-30 months | | FEMALE | 22-23 months | |
| LIFE SPAN: | 10-12 years or more | |
| |
| HABITAT: | Typically found in remote and fairly undisturbed areas with abundant prey and cover | |
| POPULATION: | GLOBAL | Between 30-50 panthers | |
| STATUS: | IUCN | Critically Endangered (for F.c.coryi and F.c.couguar) | | CITES | Appendix I (for F.c.coryi) | | USFWS | Endangered | |
No comments:
Post a Comment