Q. Among wildlife in the remote sections of the Everglades, this predator is a vanishing species and is known to be in no state east of the Mississippi except Florida. Name this animal.

(“Attacked by a Vicious ___.” National Police Gazette, ca. 1895. Historical Museum of Southern Florida.)

 

This animal is a subspecies of the cougar, which is among the most widespread mammals in the Western Hemisphere. It traditionally was found from Canada to Patagonia. Settlers and writers thought the, ______ was a dangerous animal that should be shot on sight. Today there are between 80 and 100 of this animal; a great increase from the 1995 when their numbers were less than 30.

 A. The Florida Panther