Pilar the Florida Panther
Powerful and hard to find, Pilar is one of the top predators of the River of Grass. If you’re quiet and observant, you just might find meet her.
Shhh—did you see that? Something moved behind that bush…
Shine a light and you’ll see two big eyes staring back at you. She was there the whole time, watching. Meet Pilar the Florida panther—stealthy and strong, she’s a solitary hunter who roams at night and is only visible with your River of Grass virtual flashlight.
Biology in the Wild
A subspecies of the mountain lion, Florida panthers once roamed from the southern tip of Florida to Arkansas, but today there are only 100 to 180 survivors, all of them living in and around the Everglades. Adults can be seven or eight feet long including their tail, with females weighing 75 pounds, and males reaching up to 120. Though adults are tan, kittens have spots to blend in with the forest floor. Once the sun goes down, the Florida panther’s big eyes, strong sense of smell and whiskers help them find their way in the darkness, giving them an advantage over their prey, which includes feral pigs, raccoons, armadillo, rabbits, deer and even alligators.
