The florida panther is an endangered subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor) that lives in forests and swamps of southern Florida in the United States. This species is also known as the cougar, mountain lion, puma, and catamount; but in the Southeast, and particularly Florida, it is exclusively known as the panther. Florida Panthers are spotted at birth and typically have blue eyes. As the panther grows the spots fade and the coat becomes completely tan while the eyes typically become more of a yellow. One of the highest causes of mortality for Florida panthers are automobile collisions. There are less than 150 Florida Panthers left in the wild. And at least 10 panthers are killed each year by collisions with cars. 17 panthers died on Florida’s roads in 2008 alone, which means that more than 10% of the panther population met their doom on the bumpers of speeding cars. But, the tragedy these elusive predators doesn’t end just there. Female panthers leave their kittens behind when hunting for food... Needless to say, that these helpless kittens will just die of starvation or being killed by other predators if their mothers doesn’t return.
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