Officials: Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

It’s the 18th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 20 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The remains of the 2-year-old female panther were found Thursday along Alligator Alley in Collier County, just a few miles east of the toll plaza, wildlife officials said.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.