Habitat Selection by Critically Endangered Florida Panthers across the Diel Period: Implications for Land Management and Conservation

Decisions regarding landscape management, restoration, and land acquisition typically depend on land managers’ interpretation of how wildlife selects habitat. Such assessments are particularly important for umbrella species like the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi), whose survival requires vast wildlands. Some interpretations of habitat selection by panthers have been criticized for using only morning locations in defining habitat use. We assessed habitat selection using a Euclidean distance analysis (EDA) and location data collected throughout the diel period from GPS collars deployed on 20 independent Florida panthers. We corroborated aspects of earlier analyses by demonstrating selection of forested habitats by panthers. We also confirmed selection of open habitats (i.e., marsh–shrub–swamps, prairie–grasslands), a novel result. Habitat selection did not vary by sex or season but varied by time of day. Panthers were located closer to wetland forests in the daytime and used prairie–grasslands more at night. Our assessment of the effect of patch size on selection of forest habitat revealed that panthers were not solely reliant on large patches (\u3e 500 ha) but utilized patches of all sizes (≤ 1 ha, \u3e 5–10 ha, \u3e 1000 ha, etc.). Our results emphasize the importance of collecting panther location data throughout the diel period when assessing habitat selection. Conservation strategies for panthers should consider a mosaic of habitats, a methodology that will protect other sensitive flora and fauna in South Florida

High prevalence of Trichinella pseudospiralis in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi)

Abstract Background Parasites of the genus Trichinella are zoonotic nematodes common in carnivores throughout the world. We determined the prevalence and species of Trichinella infections in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi). Methods Tongues from Florida panthers were collected at necropsy and examined by pepsin-HCl artificial digestion for infection with Trichinella spp. DNA was extracted from larvae and multiplex PCR using Trichinella species-specific primers was used to genotype the worms. Results Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 24 of 112 (21.4%; 14.6%–30.3%) panthers. Sixteen of the panthers (14.3%) were infected with T. pseudospiralis, 1 (0.9%) was infected with T. spiralis, and 2 (1.8%) had mixed infections of T. pseudospiralis and T. spiralis. Trichinella spp. larvae from 5 panthers were not identified at the species level due to degraded DNA. Conclusions This is the highest prevalence of T. pseudospiralis detected in North America up to now and suggests the Florida panther is a key mammalian reservoir of this parasite in southern Florida. Trichinella pseudospiralis can infect both mammals and birds indicating the source of infection for Florida panthers could be broader than believed; however, birds represent a small percentage (0.01%) of the cat’s diet. Since wild pigs (Sus scrofa) can be parasitized by both T. pseudospiralis and T. spiralis and these swine can comprise a large portion (~40%) of a panther’s diet in Florida, we believe that Florida panthers acquired these zoonotic parasites from feeding on wild pigs