Darrell Land

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | ffwcc · HSC

This SSA evaluates the current status of the Florida panther as well as an assessment on the risk of extinction in the future. This SSA applies the conservation biology principles of resiliency, redundancy, and representation (the 3 R’s) to evaluate the current and future condition of the Florida panther. Resiliency, redundancy, and representation...

This report evaluates the current status of the Florida panther as well as an assessment on the risk of extinction in the future. This SSA applies the conservation biology principles of resiliency, redundancy, and representation (the 3 R's) to evaluate the current and future condition of the Florida panther. Also assessed is the concept of a fourth...

Florida panthers once ranged throughout most of the southeastern United States, but loss of habitat and efforts to eradicate panthers during the 1800s led to a large decline throughout much of their historic range. Florida panthers were listed as an endangered species in 1967 and have been federally protected by the US Endangered Species Act since...

Extension document published on the University of Florida EDIS (Every Day Information Source) website. The document details how to construct a predator-proof pen to protect livestock and domestic animals from depredation by the Florida panther.

Panthers help maintain populations of some native species and control nuisance species such as wild hogs. They are generally secretive and rarely bother people, but there are rare situations where panthers can become dangerous or damaging. In this 4-page fact sheet, we present some facts about panthers, describe dangers and problems they may cause,...

Estrus behavior by females for reasons other than reproduction (pseudo-estrus) has been reported in species of primates and felids, and alternative hypotheses have been put forth to explain its evolution and function. We observed 3 separate cases of pseudo-estrus behavior by 2 Puma concolor coryi (Florida Panther) females while they were nursing yo...

Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are listed as an endangered subspecies in the United States and they exist in a single Florida population with <100 individuals; all known reproduction occurs south of Lake Okeechobee. Habitat loss is the biggest threat to this small population and previous studies of habitat selection have relied on very high...

We agree with Hedrick that there are cogent reasons for continuing to monitor the surviving Florida panthers in the future. Inbreeding is by no means solved and may increase as available habitat is developed. It is true that the relative genetic contribution of the Texas pumas was restricted to five

The rediscovery of remnant Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in southern Florida swamplands prompted a program to protect and stabilize the population. In 1995, conservation managers translocated eight female pumas (P. c. stanleyana) from Texas to increase depleted genetic diversity, improve population numbers, and reverse indications of inbre...

The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) historically ranged over southeastern North America but by the late 20 th Century had been reduced to a single remnant population occupying the remote regions of South Florida. Several management actions beginning in the early 1980s, including genetic restoration, 6 increased law enforcement, highway underp...

Highways fragment wildlife habitat and collisions with vehicles are an added source of wildlife mortality. Often, wildlife populations can absorb this unnatural mortality without suffering declines, but for endangered large mammals like the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), additional fragmentation of remaining habitat or additional sources of...

The overall prevalence of cryptorchidism in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) from 1972-2001 was 49% (24/49), with a significant increase over time. The earliest age at which descent of both testicles was known to occur was 2 mo and the latest was 10-13 mo. Delayed testicular descent was documented in 23% (8/35) of juveniles examined. Most ret...

We studied dispersal in 27 radio-collared Florida panthers Puma concolor coryi in southern Florida from 1986 to 2000. Male dispersal was longer (mean=68.4 km) than that of females (mean=20.3 km), tended to be circular, frustrated, and of insufficient length to ameliorate inbreeding. Females were philopatric and established home ranges that were les...

[The authors] monitored 26 radio-collared panthers (Felis concolor coryi) in southwest Florida from December 1985 through October 1990 and collected data on 7025 locations. Panthers preferred native upland forests over wetlands and disturbed habitats. Home-range size varied from 53 to 1183 km2, averaging 519 km2 for resident males and 193 km2 for r...

Radio-collared Felis concolor coryi in SW Florida preferred native upland forests over wetlands and disturbed habitats. Home-range size varied from 53-1183km2, averaging 519km2 for resident males and 193km2 for resident females. Home ranges of resident adults were stable unless influenced by death of other residents. Dispersal distances averaged 58...

We examined the diet of Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi) in southwest Florida from 1977 through 1989. Frequency of occurrence in 270 scats indicated wild hog (Sus scrofa) was the most common prey followed by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), raccon (Procyon lotor), and 9-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). No seasonal variatio...

We examined snag densities and stand characteristics on 20 north Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations; cavity nesting bird densities were estimated on 15 sites and relationships examined between bird and snag densities and stand characteristics. Snag densities ranged from 2.6 to 38.6 snags/ha (x̄ = 10.6 ± 1.4 [SE]) and increased as numb...

Intensive monitoring of two radio-collared, adult female Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi) from January 1985-December 1987 revealed behavior patterns associated with rearing of kittens. Reductions in home-range size immediately after parturition were followed by an increase in area used by one female and decreased area used by another. Activi...