Endangered Florida panther hit, killed by vehicle

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has been struck and killed by a vehicle.

It's the 23rd fatal collision this year, of 28 total panther deaths. Biologists will study the panther's remains.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the male panther's remains were found Thursday on a parkway east of Interstate 75 in Lee County. Officials say the panther was 2 years old.

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.