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    Overview of the Panthers of Florida

    Number of Pages: 2

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    In two and a half pages this paper examines the panthers of Florida in this informational overview. Five sources are cited in the bibliography.

    Name of Research Paper File: JR7_RApanthr.rtf

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    mammal of Florida and its existence is being seriously threatened. In the following paper we provide a general overview of this animal and its present precarious state. The  Florida Panther Florida panthers are large, tawny-colored cats, once plentiful throughout the southeastern U.S." (FPL. 2003). They are "One of 30 cougar subspecies" (Defenders of Wildlife, 2003). They are, as  is the case with most mammals, animals that have a great deal of lore attached to them: "Much folklore surrounds these seldom-seen cats, sometimes called catamounts or painters, and they  have been persecuted out of fear and misunderstanding of the role these large predators play in the natural ecosystem" (Department of State, 2003). At present there is an estimated  "30 to 50" left in the wild to "roam only in the remote cypress swamps and hardwood hammocks of Florida south of Lake Okeechobee" (FPL. 2003). And, what habitat they  have left is seriously threatened by the encroachment of mankind. "Habitat loss and hunting over the past century are the principal reasons for their decline....Genetic defects, resulting from inbreeding among  the remaining population and mercury poisoning, are threatening the livelihood of the panthers survival" (FPL. 2003). In addition to the dwindling environment and interbreeding, "Florida panthers are killed by  cars and trucks, particularly on State Road 29 and Alligator Alley (I-75), and - although it is against the law - hunters still shoot panthers occasionally" (FPL, 2003). However, "the  biggest threats to the remaining panthers, however, are their health and continuing loss of habitat. Florida panthers have an unusually large number of health problems.....Around the Everglades, panthers have been  contaminated with mercury (at least 1 has died from mercury poisoning) by eating raccoons high in mercury, which passes through the aquatic food chain. The mercurys origin is being debated 

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