A homeowner spotted one of the most endangered mammals in the U.S., a Florida panther, crossing through his backyard in Naples, Florida. A subspecies of mountain lion, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is much rarer than its cousins out west. The Nature Conservancy reports there are likely only a couple hundred of these animals left in the wild, and they only live in southern Florida.
Videos by Outdoors
In a video of the moment posted to X, you can see the Florida panther walking through a large backyard. At one point, the animal stops and looks directly at the person filming. Then, it moves on in the same direction, this time at a light trot.
Mountain lions have many names in the Americas, including pumas, catamounts, cougars, and panthers. For whatever reason, this Florida-specific subspecies is known by and large as the Florida panther.
See a rare Florida panther trot through a Naples backyard here:
Florida panther spotted recently in Naples crossing through a backyard. Pretty good size too! 🐆 Credit: @WINKNews viewer Sebastian S #Florida pic.twitter.com/RArsFl8jam
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) July 31, 2024
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) says one way to distinguish between a Florida panther and other mountain lion species is to look at the tail and back.
“Florida panthers usually have a crooked tail and a unique patch of fur on the back,” NWF says. “The back fur is almost like a cowlick, not conforming to the rest of the panther’s fur.”
However, NWF points out that kinked tails and cowlicks are not “true subspecies differences.” Rather, they’re a consequence of inbreeding and poor genetic variation, since the Florida panther population is so depleted.
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