Florida Panther Movements, Social Organization and Habitat Utilization Annual Performance Report 1986-1987

Maehr, David

A total of 1,464 radio locations were used to determine home range sizes of 10 Florida panthers in Collier and Hendry counties. Adult males averaged 507 km^2 and adult females averaged 184 km^2. A juvenile male and female used areas of 433 km^2 and 70 km^2, respectively. Frequent interactions among adult males and a female with kittens were documented as was an aggressive encounter between an adult male and juvenile male. Two panthers were treated at the Miami Zoo, one had been wounded from a gunshot, the other had been injured by a motor vehicle. Diel monitoring revealed activity peaks around sunset and sunrise with inactivity occurring during mid-day. Day use sites typically are dense saw palmetto thickets that may provide thermal advantages as well as security. An adult female'panther was removed from the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve for nutritional evaluations and captive breeding. Panther #09 has exhibited behavior typical of parturition and denning. Intensive monitoring will continue in order to document number of kittens and associated maternal behavior. A preliminary panther population model was developed. Refinements are still necessary but it demonstrates the impacts of recruitment rates, litter size, and kitten survival.