Florida panthers lack the ability to roar, and instead make distinct sounds that include whistles, chirps, growls, hisses, and purrs.

[10] The Florida panther had for a long time been considered a unique cougar subspecies, with the scientific name Felis concolor coryi proposed by Outram Bangs in 1899.

[13] The Florida panther lives in pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests.

The Florida panther is an opportunistic hunter, and has been known to prey on livestock and domesticated animals, including cattle, goats, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, and cats.

Most recently, an orphaned brother and sister were brought to the center at 5 months old in 2011 after their mother was found dead in Collier County, Florida.

[34] While young males wander over extremely large areas in search of an available territory, females occupy home ranges close to their mothers.

[35] Antigen analysis on select Florida panther populations has shown evidence of feline immunodeficiency virus and puma lentivirus among certain individuals.

Although, since Florida panthers have lower levels of the antibodies produced in response to FIV, consistently positive results for the presence of infection is difficult to find.

Feminized males are much less likely to reproduce, which represents a significant threat to a subspecies that already has a low population count and a high level of inbreeding.

Chemical compounds that have created abnormalities in Florida panther reproduction include herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides such as benomyl, carbendazim, chlordecone, methoxychlor, methylmercury, fenarimol, and TCDD.

Factors that include habitat destruction contributed to the formation of an isolated population of puma in the Florida panther.

This also lowers the adaptive capacity of the population and increases the likelihood of genetic defects[42] such as cryptorchidism and other complications to the heart and immune system.

Within these ranges are many roads and human constructions, which are regularly traveled on by Florida panthers and can result in their death by vehicular collision.

Efforts to reduce collisions with the Florida panther include nighttime speed reduction zones, special roadsides, headlight reflectors, and rumble strips.

[50] The introduction of eight female cougars from a closely related Texas population has apparently been successful in mitigating inbreeding problems.

However, GPS tracking has determined that habitat selection for panthers varies by time of day for all observed individuals, regardless of size or gender.

The implications of these findings suggest that conservation efforts must be focused on the full range of habitats used by Florida panther populations.

[57] Female panthers with cubs build dens for their litters in an equally wide variety of habitats, favoring dense scrub, but also using grassland and marshland.

He was covertly paid by land developers to produce faulty science papers that were used to permit construction projects that destroyed Florida panther habitat.

The SRT identified serious problems with Maehr's literature, including poor citations and misrepresentation of data to support unsound conclusions.

[60][61][62] A Data Quality Act (DQA) complaint brought by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Andrew Eller, a biologist with the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), was successful in demonstrating that agencies continued to use incorrect information after it had been clearly identified as such.

In two white papers, environmental groups contended that habitat development was permitted that should not have been, and documented the link between incorrect data and financial conflicts of interest.

In 2023 the Florida panther was featured on a United States Postal Service forever stamp as part of the Endangered Species set, based on a photograph from Joel Sartore's Photo Ark.

The film played a role in raising public awareness and influencing the passage of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act.