Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

09/04/2026

Happy National Wildlife Day! 🐾

The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect vital habitat for the federally endangered Florida panther, however, panthers aren’t the only species that rely on the pine flatwoods, prairies, forested wetlands, and hardwood hammocks found throughout the area.

In fact, the Refuge is home to more than 120 species of birds, around 22 mammalian species, 50 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a variety of fish. Because of its wide-ranging habitat needs, protecting the Florida panther also benefits many other species of wildlife, deeming it an umbrella species.

In celebration of National Wildlife Day, enjoy some wildlife ASMR! Watch as a couple of Florida black bears, a Florida panther, and a white-tailed deer inspect our trail cameras. Sometimes, this sniffing happens when we service the cameras after lunch and the animals pick up on lingering scents from our meals! 😆

Video description: A video compilation titled “National Wildlife Day: ASMR Edition” featuring four USFWS trail camera clips of two black bears, a Florida panther, and a white-tailed deer closely sniffing and interacting with the equipment.

09/03/2026

Check out these otterly cool videos! If you turn your sound on, you can hear some of the otters communicating with each other in a couple of the videos (i.e., the high pitched chirps that you can hear in the video with the adult and two kits).

This trail camera is located at a breech in an old logging tram in the middle of Fakahatchee Strand on the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. We call this location Fred's Hole, because this is the primary pond apple slough that is defended by one of the largest alligators that we have ever seen on the refuge. There are other "Fred's" out there in Florida, but we have been calling the refuge's gator "Fred" since 2015.

Thanks to the Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge and donations by the public to the Friends group, which have funded this and many more trail cameras on the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge!

We have gotten so many cool videos from this location over the years! In the future, we will dedicate a Fred Friday tribute in honor of the old living dinosaur who calls this special wetland home, and to highlight all of the other wildlife who also call this home.

08/29/2026

A little Saturday morning serotonin boost: two bobcat kittens getting in some playtime! 🐾

Did you know?
• In Florida, bobcats breed from August to March and typically have one to four kittens per litter.
• Bobcats typically hunt at night, relying on their excellent night vision to locate prey in low-light conditions.
• Bobcat kittens stay in a den while their mother hunts until they are around 12 weeks old, then, they'll join her on hunts.

Video description: Trail camera clips from Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge show two bobcat kittens playing and chasing each other.

08/21/2026

Check out these kits! 🦝🦝🦝

While these highly adaptable mammals are generally solitary as adults, mother raccoons and their young will travel together for up to a year in a group called a "nursery." Because of Florida's warm climate, the breeding season kicks off earlier than in northern states, meaning litters of three to five kits are typically born around March or April.

Raccoons are born blind, deaf, and completely dependent on their mother for survival, but develop these senses at around 3 weeks of age. At around 6 to 8 weeks, they are ready for their first short trips outside of the den as they've learned to walk, run, and climb. By 10 to 12 weeks of age, they gradually wean off their mother's milk and transition to a solid, omnivorous diet.

Even though they become highly independent foragers by the fall, they don't strike out on their own just yet. The family group still stays together for safety and shares dens through the cooler months before the kits finally disperse to find their own territories the following spring!

Three USFWS trail camera videos of groups of raccoons traveling throughout the refuge.

08/13/2026

Trees help provide black bears with opportunities to climb, leave their scent, groom loose fur, and of course, a great place for a back scratch...especially this tree at Trailcam44! 🐻

Video description: Four trail camera videos show black bears rubbing and scratching their backs against the same tree at Trailcam44.

08/09/2026

Report any Swallow-Tail Kites you see...

Conditions for migration across the Gulf are good today for Swallow-tailed Kites to reach the Yucatan Peninsula! Many kites are still in pre-migratory roosts and foraging aggregations. Have you seen kites? Help us keep track and share your kite sightings with us!
https://www.arcinst.org/2026-kite-population-survey/

08/08/2026

Are you a cat person? Good news! It’s International Cat Day. 😸

Today, the Refuge celebrates two feline species found in southwest Florida: the bobcat and the Florida panther.

While Florida panther kittens may look similar to bobcats at first glance due to their spotted coats, these spots begin to fade by about 6 months of age, while bobcats keep their spots throughout their lives.

For Florida panther kittens, these spots provide camouflage, helping them stay hidden from potential predators. For bobcats, spots help them remain concealed while hunting prey such as rabbits and rodents.

In the first trail camera video, a fully-spotted bobcat moves along a path among pine trees. In the second, two Florida panther kittens with nearly faded spots pass by the same trail camera just a few months later.

Happy to all the feline fans out there!

07/31/2026

Florida panther scrape 🐾 or the next viral dance move 🕺? Maybe both??

Florida panthers form scrapes by pushing their hind feet backward through soil and vegetation, leaving behind a pile of debris on which they will urinate or sometimes leave s**t.

Male Florida panthers scrape to let other males know they're in the area, helping to avoid unnecessary conflict when their territories overlap. Female Florida panthers also scrape to signal to nearby males that they're ready to breed.

So what's happening during a scrape? 🕵
As panthers push their hind feet through to the ground, scent is released from glands between their toes. Florida panthers have also been observed rolling in fresh scrapes, which may help reinforce the scent marker.

Video description: Three trail camera clips show Florida panthers engaging in scraping behavior. In the first two clips, a Florida panther pushes its hind feet backward through soil and vegetation, creating a scrape. In the third clip, a Florida panther rolls onto its back and sides within the scraped area, interacting with the fresh scent marker.

07/26/2026

Happy World Mangrove Day! 🌱

Mangrove forests connect land and water, creating habitat for hundreds of wildlife species. Florida is home to nearly 600,000 acres of these remarkable coastal forests and three true mangrove species:

🔴 Red mangroves grow along the water’s edge, where their prop roots provide shelter for fish, crabs, shrimp, and other aquatic life.

⚫ Black mangroves grow at slightly higher elevations and use pencil-like breathing roots, called pneumatophores, to absorb oxygen.

⚪ White mangroves grow farther inland at higher elevations, where they produce small, greenish-white flowers.

In Southwest Florida, mangrove forests face increasing threats from coastal development, water pollution, sea-level rise, and stronger storms. Conserving mangrove habitats helps protect wildlife and Florida’s coastlines for generations to come.

07/22/2026

Check out this recent American crocodile sighting at the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge! 🐊

Did you know that South Florida is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles naturally coexist? However, while there are approximately 1.3 million alligators in Florida, there are only around 2,000 adult and juvenile crocodiles.

So, why are there so few crocodiles? During the mid-1900s, American crocodiles were heavily hunted for their hides, reducing the population to just several hundred individuals by the early 1970s.

After decades of management, monitoring, and habitat protection, crocodiles were downlisted from federally endangered to threatened in 2007. Today, the greatest threats to this shy and reclusive species are illegal hunting and the loss of its brackish and saltwater habitats due to urban development.

Thanks to decades of conservation efforts, seeing an American crocodile in South Florida is becoming a little less rare. If you spot one, observe it from a safe distance, keep pets on a leash, and never feed or approach wildlife.

Photo by Duncan Metts