Giant Florida panther captured by wildlife officials is the heaviest ever recorded

Wildlife officials captured and released a Florida panther weighing 166 pounds (75 kilograms), above average for the subspecies. (Photo courtesy of FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

Florida Wildlife officials have captured and collared the heaviest Florida panther on record. The adult male weighed 166 pounds (75 kilograms), the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) announced in a Facebook post Monday (Feb. 10).

According to social media posts, the cat was sedated and then released as part of a routine population check.

According to the FWC, male Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) typically weigh between 100 and 160 pounds (45 and 73 kg), while females weigh between 70 and 100 pounds (32 and 45 kg).

Photos show the animal perched on a tree branch and lying on the ground as biologists assess its health. “When creating a collar for a panther, biologists conduct a comprehensive health assessment that includes blood tests and collecting tissue samples for genetic analysis,” officials said in a Facebook post.

Florida panthers are a subspecies of cougar that is critically endangered. Their historic range stretched from the Sunshine State to Louisiana and Arkansas, but hunting has significantly reduced their numbers in recent centuries. Florida panthers are now found exclusively in southwest Florida, where they live in swamps, uplands, mountain forests, and saw palmetto thickets, according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Although Florida panthers are the Sunshine State's official mascot, there are only 120 to 230 left in the wild, according to the FWC.

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Biologists sedated the panther to give it a physical examination. (Photo courtesy of FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

Health assessments help better understand Florida's endangered panther population. (Photo courtesy of FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

Sourse: www.livescience.com

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