Question 1

True or false: Florida panthers are excellent swimmers and often cross rivers and canals in search of territory.

Accepted Answer

True. They are strong swimmers, using waterways to expand their range, especially in Florida's swampy terrain.

Question 2

True or false: Florida panthers primarily hunt deer, but they also eat raccoons and armadillos.

Accepted Answer

True. White-tailed deer are their main prey, but they opportunistically take smaller mammals like raccoons and armadillos.

Question 3

True or false: Florida panthers can purr like housecats, but they also roar like lions.

Accepted Answer

False. Florida panthers are pumas, which can purr but cannot roar due to a different larynx structure. Only big cats like lions can roar.

Question 4

True or false: As of 2023, there were fewer than 250 Florida panthers left in the wild.

Accepted Answer

True. In 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated 120-230 adult and subadult Florida panthers, so fewer than 250.

Question 5

True or false: The Florida panther is actually a type of black panther, with a solid black coat.

Accepted Answer

False. No melanistic (black) Florida panther has ever been documented; they are typically tawny brown with a white belly.

Question 6

True or false: Adult male Florida panthers can weigh over 150 pounds, making them one of the larger cat species in North America.

Accepted Answer

True. Males average 100-160 pounds, with some reaching 160 pounds, making them sizable but smaller than jaguars.

Question 7

True or false: Florida panthers once roamed as far north as Tennessee and South Carolina.

Accepted Answer

True. Historically, their range extended across the southeastern U.S., but they are now confined to southern Florida.

Question 8

True or false: The Florida panther's tail is noticeably longer than that of a mountain lion.

Accepted Answer

False. Florida panthers are actually a subspecies of mountain lion, and their tails are similar in length, not longer.

Florida Panther Trivia Questions