WASSMER ET AL.: SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA BOBCAT ECOLOGY 177

of the forelegs. In 1978, prior to this study, the semi-tame female (Fl)
developed a severe case of mange and probably would have died if she had not
been captured and treated; and her four kittens that year also apparently died
from mange (C. E. Winegarner, pers. comm.). These data suggest that there
was a relatively high incidence of mange in the bobcat population of the study
area during 1978 and 1979.
 Direct and circumstantial evidence indicated that a feline panleucopenia
epizootic occurred among the bobcats of the study area during the fall and
winter of 1979-1980. The deaths of 4 marked individuals (adult males M1, M3;
adult female F10; juvenile male M5) whose fresh carcasses were recovered in
January and February 1980 were diagnosed as being due to the disease.
Circumstantial evidence also suggested that four other individuals, including an
adult male (M2) and a marked juvenile female (F6) and her two siblings (M4,
F5), also died from the disease. In addition two adult females (Fl, F4) were
suspected to have had sublethal infections based on their behavior (see below).
Whether only necropsied animals or all possible cases are included, mortality
from FPLV from October 1979 through February 1980 accounted for a
significant proportion of the known bobcat population, including 3 or 4 of 8
adults and from 1 to 4 of 11 juveniles. Sexes of bobcats known or suspected to
have died from FPLV included 2 or 3 of 3 males and 1 of 5 females among
adults and 1 or 2 of 3 males and 0-2 of 3 females among known-sex juveniles.
 Data on the symptoms of the disease and its effect on behavior were
obtained for several of the instrumented bobcats. All known or suspected
FPLV victims exhibited a progressive reduction in movements from 2 to 4 days
prior to death. A juvenile male was glassy-eyed and lethargic when recaptured
4 days prior to his death and was slow to move away from the observer when
released. Disturbance of the ground around the body, which was found soon
after death, indicated that the animal had struggled. A large amount of
greenish, apparently bile-tinted, fluid exuded from the mouth while the carcass
was being transported to the laboratory. An adult male observed near a pond
shortly before death was unable to get on his feet or hold his uncontrollably
bobbing head erect. Greenish fluid was dripping from his mouth. When
checked 2 hours later, he was dead, perhaps drowned, in the pond in water
about 10 cm deep. The surrounding vegetation was matted down, indicating
the animal had struggled before dying. Four other bobcats known or believed
to have died from FPLV also were found near water.
 Circumstantial evidence suggests that adult female F4 was principally
responsible for the spread of the disease through the population. The first
death attributable to FPLV was that of an adult male (M2) in late October
1979. M2 and F4 had overlapping home ranges and probably were in
occasional contact outside the breeding season. Therefore, F4 may have
transmitted the disease to M2 or received it from him. On 14 January 1980
from 2000 to 2100, F4 and adult male M3 were in close proximity based on