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Five hundred years ago the Florida panther symbolized something magical to the Calusa Indians living on Key Marco off the southwestern coast of Florida. An unknown artisan carved a graceful figure of a kneeling human with a panther head. Archeologist Frank Hamilton Cushing, who excavated the site where the figure was found in 1896, believed it represented a shaman - an individual with power to transcend the world of ordinary man, often by taking the form of an animal (Purdy 1996). Today the panther is still a powerful symbol in Florida, of beauty, of wilderness, of mystery, and independence, solitude, and survival. In 1982 Florida school children chose the panther over the manatee, the alligator, and the key deer as the state animal.


what you can find here

Panther crossing sign

Kids' Drawings
(click for larger views)

Florida schoolchildren selected the Florida panther as the state's animal. Click on these pictures to view drawings by various elementary students.

kid drawing of panther in grass
kid drawing of panther behind a tree
kid drawing of panther near water
kid drawing of panther on tree limb
 
Here you will find answers to all (well, we think all!) your questions about the Florida panther. The information here was reviewed by panther scientists and teachers with careful attention to commonly asked questions about our state's animal. Along the way, you'll also find fun, challenging exercises and games. There's a lot to say about the Florida panther and so to organize our tour, we've divided our coverage into four general topics: natural history, habitat, threats, and conservation.

Natural History

Here you'll discover all the basic information about the Florida panther including its range, physical description, relationship to others members of the cat family, and behavior such as hunting methods, mating, rearing of young, vocalizations, and more.

Habitat

Find out where the Florida panther lives and explore the natural communities within its range. Learn about the importance of private land to the panther's survival. Discover some of the other animals as well as some of the plants within its range.

Threats

Discover the threats to the survival of the Florida panther. Learn about habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation and their negative consequences for the panther. Explore how public opinion affects the future of the panther.

Conservation

Explore a timeline of panther history from the first European presence in Florida to the present day. Discover changing perceptions of the panther and efforts to save it from extinction.


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