Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers

The female panthers are sexually matured at the age of 1 ½ to 2 ½ and males at 3.   They will mate with more than one partner.   The mating pairs will remain together for up to one week sleeping and hunting together.   A female will signify her sexual availability by the scent of her urine.   The gestation period is 92 to 96 days.   The litters consist of 1-4 kittens.   The kittens weight about 500 grams at birth.   Their eyes will be closed with grayish-brown fur and dark spots.   The females will not breed again until their kittens are 1 ½ to 2 years of age.
The females are the responsible one for raising of the young ones.   The first 2 to 3 weeks, the mother will spend most of her time in the den.   The kittens’ eyes open in 2 to 3 weeks and are able to move around the den.   After the female makes a kill, she will eat until she can’t no more and then she will go back to nurse the young ones.   The panther’s milk is 6 times fatter than cow’s milk.   There, alone in the den, the kittens will play and sleep.   At 2 months, the kittens start to accompany their mother in hunting.   At 6 months, they are learning how to hunt to catch small prey.   At the age of 2 years old, the kittens often will establish their own range and leave their mothers’.
Panthers can live up to 12 years.   The females can live up to 10 years old.   The males have a tougher time surviving in the wild.   The panther will kill each other for different reasons.   Other reasons of death are bacterial infections, rabies, and congenital heart defects.