WEC 183 Florida's Large Carnivores 1 Martin B. Main, Ginger Allen, and Melvin E. Sunquist 2 1. This document is Fact Sheet WEC 183, one of a series of the Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June 2004. Please visit the Edis Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu 2. Martin B. Main, associate professor and wildlife extension specialist; Ginger M. Allen, senior biologist; and Melvin E. Sunquist, associate professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611-0430. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity - Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Larry R. Arrington, Interim Dean Introduction Figure 1. Clockwise from left: Florida Panther, bobcat, Florida Black Bear, coyote. Florida's diverse wildlife includes a number of large, predatory mammals known as carnivores. Carnivores are mammalian predators of the Order Carnivora, and among other things are characterized by having teeth designed for tearing and consuming flesh. However, some carnivores, such as bears and coyotes, are omnivorous and eat both animal and plant material. This document provides an overview of Floridas four largest carnivores: the Florida panther, black bear, bobcat, and the coyote. Although ecologists and wildlife enthusiasts may consider the existence of Florida's carnivores both important and fortunate in a world where large carnivores are rapidly disappearing, attitudes have not always been kind toward large predatory animals. When European settlers first arrived on North American shores, they brought with them a prejudice against predators, and the first wildlife legislation enacted in the British colonies was a wolf bounty. This prejudice dominated wildlife policy until conservationist Aldo Leopold demonstrated the important role of predator-prey relationships in the 1950s, when he documented the rise and eventual collapse of a deer population following predator removal. Predation, and particularly predation by top-level carnivores, is a necessary component of healthy ecosystems, and numerous studies have demonstrated that the loss of top-level predators may lead to a decline in biodiversity. Predator-prey relationships are complex. For example, the removal of large predators may lead to an increase in deer and other herbivore populations that may damage habitat and reduce carrying capacity for these species. Elimination of large predators may Archival copy: for current recommendations see http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu or your local extension office.