Florida is home to some of the most diverse wildlife in the country.
But there are still things that amaze the experts.
And Florida wildlife officials made one record-setting discovery that left them in stunned silence.
Biggest Florida panther ever found by wildlife officials
The Florida panther is a distinct subspecies of the North American cougar.
It became the state animal of Florida over the alligator in 1982.
The Florida panther is an endangered species with as few as 200 left in the wild in southwest Florida.
Only about 20 remained in the 1970s.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and its research branch, FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, have been tracking Florida panthers in the wild with GPS collars to help with population recovery efforts.
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute biologists made an astounding find in Babcock Ranch, Florida, straddling Lee and Charlotte Counties.
Biologists were able to sedate and place a GPS collar on a male panther that weighed 166 pounds.
That is the heaviest Florida panther that FWC biologists have ever found.
“The GPS collars deployed on panthers allow researchers to track movement patterns survival, reproduction, and habitat use, all of which help inform science-based management strategies that are critical to the recovery of this population,” FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute wrote on social media.
Pictures of the big cat shared on social media confirmed its massive size.
The cat’s paw was the size of a human hand.
Male Florida panthers typically weigh 100 to 160 pounds.
A pet cat usually weighs from 8 to 12 pounds.
Biologists work to determine clues about the Florida panther
FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute biologists will work with a dog team that chases a panther up a tree and corners it.
A tranquilizer gun is used to sedate the cat so that biologists can go to work.
A team will hold a net to catch the big cat when it falls out of the tree when sedation sets in it.
If the panther stays stuck in the tree, “a biologist will climb the tree, tie a rope around the panther, and lower it safely to the ground.”
Biologists get to work when the Florida panther is tranquilized on the ground.
“When collaring a panther, biologists conduct a comprehensive health assessment that includes blood tests and collecting tissue samples for genetic analysis,” the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute wrote. “These samples help biologists and veterinarians assess the panther’s general health and monitor for potential disease threats. Captured panthers are also vaccinated against a host of diseases, including feline leukemia virus, and given a deworming agent.”
An identification number is tattooed onto the panther’s ear in case the GPS collar comes off.
Biologists are investigating a disorder detected in Florida panthers and bobcats that causes these big cats to have weak back legs, which makes it difficult for them to walk.
The battle is underway to keep the endangered Florida panther stable from a variety of threats.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
