Deep on the southern tip of Florida lives an amazing cat.
It has rotating ears that gives it great hearing, fantastic night vision which is key to survival, retractable claws, and hind legs that lets them jump 15 feet into the air. Want to know which animal this is? It is the Florida Panther, and there only about 100 of them left in the wild.
The Florida Panther makes its home in the Cypress Swamps. They hunt for raccoon, opossum, white-tail deer, wild pigs, wild turkeys, and sometimes even baby alligators. Mother panthers keep their cubs in dens, and are very protective. Male panthers, alligators, and even hunters are dangerous to panther cubs.
Like other endangered animals, the Florida Panther is losing its home. Agriculture and development are taking land that once belonged to the animals that lived there. The Florida Panther needs room to roam. One panther's territory can be the size of 1,000 football fields, and they don't like sharing it with other panthers. For more information, check out Defenders of Wildlife website or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's new book, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, available at Amazon.
Let's not lose another amazing animal in this world. The Florida Panther needs to be protected so it will not disappear.
"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel." Animalgirl
I do love the big cats! I'd really like to see one of the panthers in the wild. I'm just not sure I like the idea of mucking around in swamps with alligators and big snakes!
ReplyDeleteWish I had some of those cats super powers, especially night vision. I can barely see to drive at night! Fascinating animals and so beautiful.
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