Scientists Find the Heaviest Florida Panther on Record, a Giant Cat Tipping the Scales at 166 Pounds
Wildlife officials in Florida captured and collared the adult male feline during a routine population check in late January
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Wildlife biologists have discovered the heaviest endangered Florida panther on record: an adult male that tipped the scales at 166 pounds.
The hefty cat was sedated and outfitted with a GPS tracking collar during a routine population check in late January, according to a Facebook post from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Biologists also collected blood and tissue samples as part of a comprehensive health assessment of the animal.
“The GPS collars deployed on panthers allow researchers to track movement patterns, survival, reproduction and habitat use, all of which help inform science-based management strategies that are critical to the recovery of this population,” according to the post.
The unusually large Florida panther was captured at Babcock Ranch Preserve, a roughly 68,000-acre protected area owned by the state. He had been spotted on trail cameras for years before state wildlife officials used specially trained hound dogs to corner the cat in a tree, reports the Miami Herald’s Mark Price. The team made an effort not to harm the animal during the research.
“The dogs trail the scent until they catch up to the panther,” Mark Lotz, one of the state’s panther biologists, tells the Miami Herald. “Panthers quickly retreat to the safety of a tree, typically within just a few minutes. … The dogs hold the panther in the tree by continually barking. Once we arrive and administer an anesthetic dart, the panther falls asleep within 10-15 minutes.”
The health check typically takes about an hour, after which point biologists inject a reversing agent to wake up the panther. The animals usually walk away within a few minutes.
At roughly ten years old, the colossal creature has probably reached his maximum size. He walks with a slight limp due to healed fractures on several toes.
But how did the panther get so big? Wildlife officials suspect the cat had been chowing down on feral hogs, an invasive species brought to Florida by Spanish settlers in the 1500s. Though Florida panthers also eat deer, they tend to go for wild hogs, if available, because they’re easier to catch.
“We have noted panthers being on the larger end of the scale in other areas where hogs make up the bulk of their diet,” Lotz tells the Miami Herald.
Feral hogs are aggressive, nuisance animals that destroy the preserve’s landscape, so wildlife officials are happy that Florida panthers are doing their part to keep the population in check.
Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are a subspecies of cougar. They’re large, wild cats with long tails and fur that ranges in color from tan to white to rusty brown. From nose to tail, they typically measure between six and seven feet long.
Males tend to be much larger than females: Male Florida panthers tracked in the state since 1978 have weighed between 102 and 154 pounds. Females, meanwhile, have weighed between 50 to 108 pounds.
Florida panthers have been listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act since 1967. At that time, an estimated ten animals remained in the wild, according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Over the last five decades, the cats’ population has slowly rebounded. Today, wildlife officials estimate between 120 and 230 adult Florida panthers are roaming around the Sunshine State.
These wild cats once prowled throughout the southeastern U.S. But because of hunting, habitat loss and genetic health issues, they now primarily live in the southwestern tip of Florida. Wildlife officials are hopeful that the panthers will expand their range northward with restoration efforts that connect fragmented habitats.
Today, cars are one of the biggest threats to Florida panthers. In 2024, vehicle collisions caused the majority of Florida panther deaths: 29 of the 36 total known deaths, reports WINK News’ Matias Abril. Already this year, a 1-year-old male Florida panther has been struck and killed by a car.
