Notice the varied terrain within the panther's range. Click on photos for larger views.

     Even though the terrain of southwest Florida appears flat, the vegetation is not all the same. A change in elevation of several centimeters may determine whether you find a cypress swamp or a pine forest.

     Many natural communities are found within the panther's range: pinelands, hardwood swamps, cypress swamps, prairies, and freshwater marshes. Hardwood hammocks are small areas found within pinelands, cypress swamps, and freshwater marshes. In most parts of the panther's range you don't encounter large blocks of a single natural community (Land 1994b). Even vast cypress swamps and freshwater marshes are broken up by drier islands of hardwood hammocks.

    Next we'll explore these areas and see how the panther uses them.