Photographic Evidence of Florida Panthers Claw-Marking Logs

Abstract

Abstract The secretive nature of Puma concolor (Puma) has made it difficult to observe them in the wild; therefore, researchers have primarily relied on radio telemetry to study Puma movements, habitat use, kill sites, and den locations. With the advent of digital infrared trail cameras, biologists are now recording previously unobserved Puma behavior, including urine-marking by females, wallowing, flehmening, and claw-marking logs. On 7 occasions, from August 2009—April 2010, we recorded 64 diagnostic sequential images of adult Puma concolor coryi (Florida Panther), of both genders, claw-marking the trunk of a downed Sable palmetto (Sabal Palm) log. Following a literature review and interviews with 11 professional Puma hunters, we concluded that this biological note represents the first photographic evidence of how male and female wild Pumas claw-mark logs.