<html><head><title>Panthers and Otters</title>
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<h2 class="intro">The animals and plants on our planet are disappearing at an alarming rate. It's time to do something about it right now!</h2>
<IMG SRC="panther.jpg" ALT="Florida Panther" WIDTH="216" HEIGHT="215" BORDER="0">
<h1>Florida Panther</h1>
<p>With perhaps no more than 50 adults left in wild areas of Southwestern Florida, <span>"Without an effective management plan, the Florida Panther will disappear within 25 years."</span>the majestic but elusive Florida Panther <em>(Puma concolor coryi) </em>is perhaps one of the most endangered species in the world. Grass roots and governmental agencies have joined forces to help keep the panther from extinction. Efforts have focused on restoring genetic diversity in the tiny population by <a href="http://www.panther.state.fl.us/panther/handbook/conserve/1990.html">importing 8 Texan cougars in 1995</a>, and on avoiding accidents with cars by building underpasses below highways that pass through their dwindling habitats. Scientists believe that without an effective management plan, the Florida Panther will disappear from the wild within 25 years. </p>
<img SRC="otter.jpg" ALT="Giant River Otter" WIDTH="216" HEIGHT="215" BORDER="0">
<h1>Giant River Otter</h1>
<p>The Giant River Otter <em>(Pteronura brasiliensis)</em> is a remarkably social animal, traveling in groups of 4-9 called "holts", headed by a monogamous pair and usually also comprising several generations of offspring. They hunt, groom and rest together, and have <a href="http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/pteronura/p._brasiliensis.html#behavior">9 vocalizations for communicating</a>. And while they can kill an Anaconda, they are no match for humans, who have brought them to the brink of extinction. There are perhaps about one thousand left (maybe as many as five thousand) in a fraction of their former habitat that once covered much of South America.</p>
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