Panther Pulse

2010
New Litters
| Date Handled |
Mother |
Father |
Age of Litter |
# Males |
# Females |
Kitten IDs |
Location |
| 2/25/10 |
FP145 |
Unknown |
3 weeks |
1 |
2 |
K291, K292, K293 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
| 2/20/10 |
FP172 |
Unknown |
2 weeks |
3 |
0 |
K288, K289, K290 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
 |
FP172's 3 male kittens are tucked away in the back of the den. |
Deaths
| Date Discovered |
Panther ID |
Age |
Sex |
Cause of Death |
County |
Location |
| 1/29/10 |
UCFP138 |
8 years |
male |
Unknown |
Collier |
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve |
|
Skeletal remains only. Several months old.
|
| 1/19/10 |
UCFP137 |
2.5 years |
male |
Intraspecific Aggression |
Lee |
CREW Flint Pen Strand |
2009
New Litters
| Date Handled |
Mother |
Father |
Age of Litter |
# Males |
# Females |
Kitten IDs |
Location |
| 7/28/09 |
FP170 |
Unknown |
22 |
2 |
1 |
285, 286, 287 |
Picayune Strand State Forest |
| 7/20/09 |
FP168 |
Unknown |
7 |
2 |
0 |
283, 284 |
CREW |
|
Kitten fur coloration was very light.
|
| 7/08/09 |
FP153 |
Unknown |
30 |
2 |
0 |
281, 282 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
| 5/07/09 |
FP162 |
Unknown |
25-27 |
0 |
1 |
280 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
| 2/25/09 |
FP161 |
Unknown |
16 |
2 |
1 |
277, 278, 279 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
 |
Florida panther kitten eyes, like these from FP170's recent litter in Picayune Strand, start out blue at birth and turn golden after a few months. |
 |
The fur of FP168's kittens is oddly paler than normal. |
Deaths
| Date Discovered |
Panther ID |
Age |
Sex |
Cause of Death |
County |
Location |
| 12/31/09 |
UCFP136 |
3-4 months |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
County Barn Rd |
| 12/29/09 |
UCFP135 |
4 years |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
SR29 near Jerome |
| 12/23/09 |
UCFP134 |
3 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
Corkscrew Rd near Gate 5 of CREW (Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed) Wildlife and Environmental Area |
| 1/01/20 |
UCFP128 |
X years |
unknown |
Under investigation |
Information not released |
Information not released |
|
Active investigation. No other public information available.
|
| 12/17/09 |
UCFP133 |
3-4 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Broward |
I-75 (near Snake Rd) |
| 11/19/09 |
UCFP132 |
Unknown |
male |
Vehicle |
Osceola |
Florida turnpike near Yehaw Junction |
|
Head removed. Report anonymous tips to 888-404-3922. See news release for more information http://www.myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/09/northeast/News_09_NE_PantherDecapitated.htm
|
| 11/01/09 |
UCFP131 |
3-4 months |
female |
Vehicle |
Hendry |
CR833 |
| 10/21/09 |
UCFP130 |
3-4 years |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
CR846, 2 mi east of Immokalee |
| 10/19/09 |
UCFP129 |
3-4 months |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
CR846, 2 mi east of Immokalee |
| 10/09/09 |
UCFP127 |
3-4 years |
female |
Unknown |
Collier |
Turner River; 1/2 mile south of US41 |
| 10/05/09 |
FP166 |
5-6 years |
male |
Intraspecific Aggression |
Hendry |
Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation |
| 9/15/09 |
UCFP126 |
2 years |
male |
Unknown |
Collier |
Private property east of Ave Maria |
| 9/06/09 |
UCFP125 |
2 years |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
I-75 (Alligator Alley, mile marker 96) |
| 7/28/09 |
FP204 |
19 years |
female |
Euthanized |
Collier |
White Oak Conservation Center |
|
This panther was part of the intended captive breeding population and does not represent a free-ranging mortality. She was euthanized due to her failing health.
|
| 8/05/09 |
UCFP124 |
1.5 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
I-75 (near mile marker 90) |
| 6/12/09 |
FP140 |
7 years |
female |
Intraspecific Aggression |
Collier |
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge |
| 5/25/09 |
UCFP122 |
1.5 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
Immokalee Rd (near Camp Keais Rd) |
| 5/14/09 |
UCFP121 |
2 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
SR29 (4 miles south of I-75) |
| 4/21/09 |
UCFP120 |
2 years |
female |
Gun Shot |
Hendry |
Big Cypress Mitigation Bank |
| 4/09/09 |
UCFP119 |
2-3 years |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
US41 near Turner River |
| 3/25/09 |
UCFP118 |
1.5 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Lee |
Treeline Ave. |
| 2/02/09 |
UCFP117 |
3 years |
male |
Intraspecific Aggression |
Hendry |
Seminole Indian Reservation |
| 1/20/09 |
UCFP116 |
4-5 years |
female |
Vehicle |
Collier |
SR29, 3 miles south of Immokalee |
| 1/17/09 |
K253 |
1.5 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Collier |
I-75 (on sothbound exit ramp to SR29) |
| 1/11/09 |
UCFP115 |
4 years |
male |
Vehicle |
Hendry |
CR832 |
2008
New Litters
| Date Handled |
Mother |
Father |
Age of Litter |
# Males |
# Females |
Kitten IDs |
Location |
| 7/20/08 |
153 |
unknown |
14 days |
2 |
1 |
274, 275, 276 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
| 6/06/08 |
158 |
146 |
14-17 days |
3 |
1 |
270, 271, 272, 273 |
Collier Seminole State Park |
| 5/23/08 |
162 |
138 |
14 days |
1 |
1 |
268, 269 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
|
268 and 269 were found dead, partially consumed, in their den.
|
| 5/02/08 |
140 |
154 |
7 days |
2 |
0 |
266, 267 |
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge |
| 3/04/08 |
151 |
unknown |
21 days |
1 |
1 |
264, 265 |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
 |
The litter of radio-collared panther FP158. |
 |
These kittens are the litter of radio-collared mother FP140. |
Deaths
| Date Discovered |
Panther ID |
Age |
Sex |
Cause of Death |
County |
Location |
| 11/16/08 |
UCFP123 |
3-4 years |
male |
Gun Shot |
Troup (GA) |
Troup County, Georgia |
|
Geneticly confirmed to be Florida panther. Father is FP137.
|
| 7/28/08 |
UCFP108 |
2-3 years |
female |
road kill |
Collier |
CR846; 1.7 mi E of CR858 |
| 5/23/08 |
K269 |
2 weeks |
male |
unknown |
Collier |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
|
discovered in den, partially consumed
|
| 5/23/08 |
K268 |
2 weeks |
female |
unknown |
Collier |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
|
discovered in den, partially consumed
|
| 5/22/08 |
UCFP107 |
2-3 years |
female |
road kill |
Collier |
CR951; south of US41 |
The updates for 2008 are also available as printable PDFs.
2007
Deaths
| Date Discovered |
Panther ID |
Age |
Sex |
Cause of Death |
County |
Location |
| 7/01/07 |
FP164 |
2.5 years |
male |
unknown |
Collier |
Big Cypress National Preserve |
|
only skeletal remains were discovered
|
The updates for 2007 are also available as printable PDFs.
About Panther Pulse
Radio-collared Florida panthers are monitored year-round three times per week from a Cessna 172 fixed-wing aircraft. National Park Service (NPS) biologists at Big Cypress National Preserve (BCNP) and Everglades National Park (ENP) assist the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in collecting telemetry flight data within each park's respective boundaries while the FWC collects data throughout the rest of the panther's range. The number being tracked fluctuates as new panthers are added to the radio-collared population each capture season and mortalities occur throughout the year.
Radio collars are maintained on a sample of Florida panthers as part of a long-term study to monitor the genetic vitality of the population to determine if additional genetic mixing with the Texas panther is required, to monitor and guard against new diseases, aid in recovery of dead panthers to investigate mortality causes, document reproductive success and to monitor many other demographic aspects.
Reporting Births
Researchers examine Florida panther kittens at the den site when they are about two weeks old. Biological samples such as blood and skin biopsies are collected to gauge the overall health and genetic makeup of the individuals. Each kitten is then weighed and dewormed. Most importantly, a transponder chip is inserted just below the skin near the shoulder area of each kitten. These microchips are very similar to those used to identify pets and allow us to permanently mark each individual.
Reporting Deaths
Mortality (death), induced by both nature and humans, is a given with all wildlife populations. Endangered species, such as the Florida panther, must strike a fine balance between births and deaths in order to continue their existence. The population has undoubtedly increased since the mid 1980s and we may be witnessing the result of this increase in the form of more documented deaths. However, we are still finding plenty of evidence that panthers continue to persist in the expected areas.
In order to establish a cause of death the FWC panther veterinarian, sometimes assisted by other specialists, performs a full necropsy on every panther carcass recovered. Rapid decomposition in the south Florida heat and scavenging by vultures often make determinations of natural causes difficult. Hides and skeletal remains are then archived at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.