Endangered Florida panthers have maintained their distinctive faces despite cross-breeding.
Human activity in the twentieth century drove this subspecies of Puma concolor (pictured) towards extinction and confined it to the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. To combat severe inbreeding, eight Texas pumas were temporarily introduced to mate with this population.
David Reed at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and his colleagues analysed the skulls of 20 male and 20 female panthers to see whether this cross-breeding had affected the animals' distinctive facial features. They found that identifying characteristics such as a highly arched 'Roman nose' have not been significantly altered. Those panthers born from crosses with their Texas cousins were similar to 'pure' Florida animals.
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Florida panthers keep their heads. Nature 502, 412 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/502412c
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/502412c
