Details about the Florida panther

Name: Florida panther

Scientific name: Puma concolor coryi, one of more than 20 subspecies of the cougar.

Size: Male Florida panthers can weigh up to 155 pounds; female Florida panthers can weigh up to 100 pounds. The cats vary in height, but can stand as tall as 2 1/2 feet from ground to shoulder and measure up to about 7 feet long from nose to tip of tail.

Life span: Florida panthers have been known to live up to 19 years.

Range: Once much of the Southeastern United States, but hunting and development have pushed the estimated 100 remaining cats into an area in southwest Florida that is increasingly being segmented by roads and new homes.

Breeding habits: Litters typically consist of up to four kittens. Females will not breed again until their kittens are up to 2 years old and able to survive on their own. If they lose their kittens, they will again seek out a mate.

Prey: Florida panthers are carnivores and typically eat feral hog, white-tailed deer, raccoon, armadillo and rabbits.

Predators: Florida panthers are at the top of the food chain, aside from humans.