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Florida Panther Killed By Vehicle, 17th Death This Year

A Florida panther. (Connie Bransilver/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region )
A Florida panther. (Connie Bransilver/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region )

An endangered Florida panther's body was found Tuesday after it was struck and killed by a vehicle.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the female panther's remains were found near Naples in Collier County. Officials said the panther was about 2 ½ years old.

It's the 13th fatal collision this year, out of 17 total panther deaths. Biologists will study the panther's remains.

In 2016, more than 30 panthers were killed on southwest Florida roads.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States, but now their habitat mostly is confined to southwest Florida. Only about 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

The Associated Press is a wire service to which WUFT News subscribes.