The Florida Panther is a beloved and treasure animal to the state of Florida, as a matter of fact it is our state animal. Many people know that the panther is endangered but there are more reasons to it other than these animals ending up on the side of the road. In this article,
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/article1087962.ece, a scientist finds explains that the main reason are birth defects. "In his May 2008 report, Dr. Mark Cunningham listed three genetic defects — a badly kinked tail, an undescended testicle and, most troubling, a quarter-inch hole in the big cat's heart. Such defects were supposed to be gone from the panther population, vanquished by a bold experiment 15 years ago that involved crossbreeding with Texas cougars". I have never seen a Florida Panther in the wild, and this news is upsetting because I would love to see one. Also, as we learned in this class, that every animal in a habitat has a role to play. If that animal becomes extince, than the food chain becomes unbalanced. With this being such a large predator, this could become a huge problem in Florida if they ever did dissapear.
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