Bobcats are medium-sized cats, bigger than a house cat while smaller than a lion. Bobcats are nocturnal, being most active at night when their prey is. They have excellent vision and hearing which are their most important senses when it comes to hunting. They eat rabbits, rodents, squirrels, ground-nesting birds, turkeys and occasionally have been known to take a sick or small deer.

Bobcats have retractable claws like house cats. This is a good way to tell the difference between a bobcat track and a dog since they are similar in size. Bobcats can only eat about 3 pounds of meat at a time so they will often cover up any leftover meat from a large game kill. Bobcats can run at up to 30 miles per hour. Bobcats put their back feet in the same place their front feet stepped so as not to disrupt the surroundings any more than necessary. Bobcats mark their territory with urine just as housecats. Bobcats are generally loners except during mating season.

Once estimated at 12,000 animals throughout Florida, Alabama and Southern Georgia, there are less than 1,500 bears left today.

No human has ever been killed by a Black bear. An average male weighs 350 pounds, while a female averages about 150 pounds. A black bear´s diet is about 80% vegetable matter. Such foods include berries, acorns, insects and palmetto hearts. Both wetlands and upland forest habitats are home to the Florida black bear.

The Park currently houses a Western cougar that serves as an ambassador for the endangered Florida panther. There are only about 50 Florida panthers left in Florida.

Panthers generally occupy upper dry land areas of the hardwood hammock, pine flatwoods, saw palmetto and cabbage palm thickets. They also inhabit wetland areas such as cypress forest, thicket swamps and freshwater marsh. Palmetto and drier scrub areas are often used for denning and day beds. Panthers prefer a secluded environment away from people and are rarely seen in agricultural areas and citrus groves. Most active at dusk and dawn, a panther can travel up to 20 miles a day, often moving in a zigzag pattern. They tend to hunt during the cooler hours of the day and rest in the hot afternoon hours.

It is simple to say that we humans are the panther´s biggest enemy, yet the problem is much bigger than us now. Panthers are still lost to cat fights but more often are killed by collisions with motor vehicles, illegal hunting, mercury poisoning and disease. Due to the low population numbers, the cats are inbreeding, which is also detrimental to the species. Adverse effects such as abnormal semen and single testicle abnormality found in males and a congenital heart disease as well as a decrease in overall fitness making them more prone to disease.

So what exactly is killing our cats?
• Pseudo rabies PRV - a virulent viral pathogen found in feral hogs, one of the cats main food sources. The virus is density dependant and is fatal to hogs. It is believed that it is transferred to panthers by eating hogs infected with the virus.
• Panleukopenia (feline distemper) - highly contagious, has the potential to be extremely dangerous for the entire panther population. Signs have shown up in 85% of those tested. They are also susceptible to Feline Leukemia and FIV, the feline AIDS virus.
• Calcivirus - a respiratory disorder that has shown up in 50% of all those tested.
• Congenital Heart Defect - a hole in the heart which is a result of inbreeding.
• Parasites - seven species of ticks which in large numbers can cause enemia. Tapeworm, hookworm, ringworm and intestinal flukes.

Native to central Africa, these nocturnal mammals are commonly found at or in deep water rivers with marshes and reeds. The average length of a hippo is approximately 11 feet with a shoulder height of 4.5 to 5 feet. A male can weigh between 3,500 and 7,000 pounds while the female is much smaller, reaching approximately 3,000 pounds. They have a large broad mouth and short broad legs with four toes on each foot. A hippo´s eyes, ears and nose are all found on the top of the head so the animal can see, hear and breathe while remaining mostly submerged.

Why, you may ask, is an African species found at a Florida park with all native wildlife? Well, Lu has lived here all his life. He was a big movie star when this was an exotic animal park. Local residents took a special liking to Lu and often visited him between his many movies. When the Park went to strictly native species, Lu was bound for a transfer. You can imagine the demand for a 6,000 pound hippopotamus is not particularly high. When the locals caught wind of the intended transfer they put up a fight to keep Lu here. Needless to say, their voices were heard, and Lu was granted honorary state citizenship.

Hippos are able to remain fully submerged for up to 30 minutes but usually surface every 3 to 5 minutes. Female hippos reach sexual maturity at 5 to 6 years after which they enter estrus twice a year. The gestation period lasts approximately 8 months, and a newborn hippo weighs in around 60 to 110 pounds. Offspring are born and nurse underwater. A hippo´s lifespan is commonly 40 to 50 years.

This playful animal is found from Mexico north to Alaska. They are especially abundant throughout Canada. Otters inhabit rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes and inland waterways. These social animals may make their home in a hollow log or abandoned beaver lodge. However, they usually dig a hole into the bank of a stream or lake. This hole leads to a leaf-lined den. Otters can swim 3-4 mph underwater and up to 6 mph on the surface. They can stay submerged for up to 4 minutes. They have short legs and webbed toes to aid them in swimming.

The otter´s body is very streamlined and flexible, generally 18 to 42 inches in length with the male being up to 30% larger than the female. Their coat is water repellent, short, smooth and dense. Overall their color is dark brown but underparts, throat and cheeks are somewhat lighter.

Otters mate year round with activity peaking in late spring and early summer. The gestation period is about 2 months after which 2-4 young are born blind and helpless. They stay with their mother for about a year while she teaches them to find and catch food for themselves. Otters reach sexual maturity in about 2 years.

The Park boasts two types of deer, the White-tailed deer, which is common throughout most of the United States east of Colorado, and the Florida Key Deer, which is a smaller subspecies of the white-tailed deer that occurs no where else in the world.

• WHITE TAILED DEER

These deer are found occupying farmland, brushy areas and forests throughout most of north America. These deer can be 3 to 3.5 feet tall at the shoulder and anywhere from 4.5 to 6.75 feet in length. They generally weigh 150 to 300 pounds. In the summer the deer have red-brown fur that changes to gray-brown in the winter. The tail is characteristically long, and the underside is white. If alarmed, the deer raises its tail, exhibiting a bright flash of white. This "hightailing" communicates danger to the other deer or helps a fawn follow its mother in flight.

• FLORIDA KEY DEER

Smaller than the White-tailed deer, it is believed that this subspecies migrated to the Keys from the mainland thousands of years ago. As the Wisconsin glacier melted, the seas rose to create the islands we now refer to as the Keys. These Key deer are the smallest of all white-tailed deer. They are 24 to 28 inches high at the shoulder. Does weigh approximately 45 to 65 pounds while the larger male can be 55 to 75 pounds. Key deer are herbivores, feeding mainly on native plants. Also, they can tolerate small amounts of salt in their water.

Today there are between 250 and 300 of these deer remaining, and they are protected by law. Federal law prohibits the disturbance and feeding of the deer. We must respect the deer and their habitat so we can ensure their survival throughout the Keys.