History of the Panthers

Male 12

First radio collared at age 5 on the extremely cold January 28, 1986, the same day the space shuttle Challenger exploded; weighed 55 kilograms; tracked over 9 years. In November 1988 his radio collar began failing. Biologists found him with a puncture hole in the collar from the teeth of another panther. The radio collar probably saved his life.

His range varied little over 9 years, and he mated with at least 6 females who gave birth to about 2 dozen kittens. As he became older, his range was increasingly threatened by younger males. On November 9, 1994, he died from wounds received in a fight with male 46.

Male 26

First radio collared on March 1, 1988 at age 5. He weighed 55 kilograms. Known to have produced kittens with females 40, 36, and 48. On July 8, 1994, he died when his skull was punctured by male 46.

Female 11

First radio collared January 21, 1986, at the age of 4. She weighed 42 kilograms. She was a frequent mate of male 12 and successfully raised 5 litters. Her relatively small home range included a prey-rich private ranch.

Female 40

First radio collared February 26, 1990, at the age of 2. She weighed 30 kilograms. Female 40 was a frequent mate of male 26. She had at least 5 litters producing a minimum of 10 kittens, 2 of which are known to still be alive. She died on February 2, 1998, from wounds received from the bite of another panther. Her 10-month old orphaned kitten was cared for until she was old enough to survive on her own. She has been returned to the wild and appears to be doing well.

Female 36

First radio collared at age 5 on January 27, 1990. She weighed 49 kilograms and was 2 meters in length. She was large for females and even for some males. One of the kittens she produced with male 26 was killed by a car at the age of 2.5 years of age.

Female 31

First radio collared at age 8 on January 12, 1989. She weighed 39 kilograms. She produced a minimum of 7 kittens with male 12. In 1993, when she was past her reproductive prime, she began leaving her consistent home range. These excursions took her across highways, and on March 3, 1994, she was killed by a car.

Female 32

First radio collared February 3, 1989, at the age of 2. She weighed 32 kilograms. Female 32 produced kittens with male 12, none of which apparently survived.

Female 19

Female 19 at the age of nine months.

First radio collared at the age of 9 months in February 9, 1987. She weighed 22 kilograms. Female 19 is the off-spring of male 12 and female 11. She raised 5 litters between 1988 and 1993, several of which were sired by her father, male 12. She produced her first litter (with male 13) 2 months before her second birthday, the earliest known age of the first reproduction of a Florida panther. One of her kittens is known to have survived in the wild past three years of age. She died December 5, 1997, of an aortic aneurysm (thinning and stretching of the artery leading from the heart) believed to be caused by an infection. According to wildlife veterinarian Sharon Taylor, this is the first time that this condition has been reported in a free-ranging mammal.

Source of Panther Ranges: Darrell Land