Purpose:

• Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are an Endangered Species.
• Counting panthers is difficult because they are solitary, elusive and wide-ranging animals rarely observed in the wild. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) panther biologists estimate there are 120-230 adults and yearlings in Florida.
• Reporting your observations can help FWC biologists address panther conservation needs by identifying the areas used by these large cats.

Identifying Panthers:

• Florida panthers are large, tawny-colored cats that are 6-7 feet long. Read more about the Florida Panther Program at MyFWC.com.
• Adults range in weight between 70-100 pounds for females and 100-160 pounds for males.
• Panther kittens are spotted at birth but these spots fade as the kitten grows older and by their first birthday, the spots are no longer visible. It would be rare to see a panther kitten without also seeing its mom.
• For additional photos of panthers visit: FWC Flickr Panther Web Photos
• To see answers to frequently asked panther questions, go to Ask FWC and type in “Florida Panther”.

How to Participate:

• FWC is interested in photos of panthers or their tracks taken either by remote trail cameras or by a very lucky person! We are especially interested in such pictures north of the Caloosahatchee River, which runs from Lake Okeechobee to Ft. Myers.
• Use the Google Marker on the map below to mark the location where a panther was observed.
• More recent sightings (within the past year) are preferred, but older sightings (regardless of year) are appreciated as well. If a sighting is not recent, please remember to put the correct year and month if possible.
• Please zoom in as far as possible when selecting a map location.
• The observer’s name and email address are required if you are uploading pictures.
• Additional comments about this site can be sent to FWC at: panther.sightings@myfwc.com. Do not use this email address for anything requiring an immediate response. If you see a sick, injured, or dead Florida panther or if you experience a depredation, please call 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Thank you. Your contributions to this effort are appreciated.

• Drag the red marker to the approximate location and then zoom into the map to help pin-point the desired location. Alternatively, you can enter your lat/long in form below. Accepted lat/long format is dd.dddd or -dd.dddd.
• Complete the form with the sighting date, your name, and contact email.
• Optionally you can attach up to three files. The file attach feature allows for multiple files to be attached at once.
• When finished click the Submit button.