1996 32¢ Florida Panther
Issue Date: October 2, 1996
City: San Diego, CA
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Lithographed
The Florida panther is one of the most critically endangered animals. Historically found throughout the entire Western Hemisphere, the panther was once the most widely distributed animal in the Americas, rivaled only by the population of man. But since the early 1900s, their numbers have dwindled from 500 to a mere few dozen, and today they can only be found in two regions of southern Florida – the Big Cypress Swamp and Everglades National Park.
A darker, gray-brown coat, longer limbs, and smaller feet have always distinguished this species from other panthers. But additional differences, a cowlick along the ridge of its back and a right-angled kink at the end of its tail, have also emerged as a result of a limited gene pool. Through the captive-breeding program begun in 1991, scientists hope to diversify the pool. But despite these efforts, the fate of the wild Florida panther remains entwined with that of its fragile habitat.
As with any large predator, the panther sustains itself by hunting over wide expanses that range from 25 to 250 square miles. To support a healthy population requires enormous amounts of land, and as civilization infringes on Florida’s ever-shrinking wilderness, the survival of the Florida panther looks slim.