OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say a rare Florida panther was hit and killed by a vehicle in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County.

The 120-pound male was estimated to be 5 or 6 years old, was found Friday. The animal was collared more than a year ago and had a home range that covered 150 square miles between U.S. 41 and Interstate I-75.

It's the sixth vehicle-related panther death of 2010, the ninth overall.

Experts say just more than 100 panthers are left in the wild.

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