The Florida panther Puma concolor coryi: A morphological investigation of the subspecies with a comparison to other North and South American cougars

Abstract

The endangered Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi, has been the subject of ecological and biomedical research, but little work has been done on the morphology of the subspecies. Interest in the morphologic characters that describe the Florida population has increased with the discovery of panthers outside their known range of southwestern Florida, the acquisition of many more specimens than were available to earlier researchers, and the first adult specimens and live captures from the Everglades. The necessity to define morphologic features of Florida panthers also had law enforcement implications. Characters previously used to describe Puma concolor coryi were quantified and re-evaluated using statistical methods. All historic and recent specimens from the southeastern U.S. (n=79) were examined for pelage color, cranial profile and proportions, and other morphological traits. These specimens were compared to a sample of North American and South American specimens. The characters measured provide a basis on which to describe the Florida population and discriminate between it and other subspecies. Specimens of panthers inhabiting the Everglades region differ from the balance of the Florida population in cranial morphology and other features, a result that is consistent with recent genetic research. There is no evidence to support a permanent geographic or ecological separation of Florida panthers into two populations. The best explanation for the observed morphological differences, consistent with historical information, is that the Everglades panthers are descendants of captive-released animals and may be hybrids. The extent to which other Florida panthers may have been affected by this possible hybridization cannot be detected with the current analytical methods. Most specimens recovered in the last 20 years from southwest Florida exhibit the classic P. concolor coryi morphologic features.