STATUS:
Endangered
COLOR:
Tawny brown back with pale gray underside
SIZE:
Males weigh 100 to 150 pounds. Females weigh about 60 to 100 pounds.
HABITAT:
Prefer mature upland forests (hardwood hammocks and pinelands). Also found in cypress and hardwood swamps.
RANGE:
Originally throughout the southeastern states and as far west as eastern Texas; now found only in southern Florida.
FOOD:
Mostly white-tailed deer and wild hog, also rabbit, raccoon and armadillo
BEHAVIOR:
Solitary, territorial, often travel at night. Males have a home range of up to 400 square miles. Females' home ranges overlap with males and span about 50 to100 square miles.
OFFSPRING:
Gestation lasts about 90 days and females bear 1 to 4 kittens, usually in late spring. Young stay with mother for about two years, after which they establish their own territories.
THREATS:
Habitat loss because of human development and population growth, parasites, environmental contaminants, feline distemper and other diseases, collision with vehicles.
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