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By Daily News Staff

Florida tallied the year's 16th roadkill endangered panther Tuesday morning, bringing the 2016 death toll to more than half of last year's record of 30 panthers.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recovered the remains of a 3- to 4-year-old female panther on Interstate 75 near Corkscrew Road in Estero. A vehicle killed the panther around 4:30 a.m.

So far this year, FWC biologists have found 18 dead panthers overall, most of them in Collier and Lee counties. The FWC lists the other causes of death as unknown.

Scientists estimate the panther population at 180 wildcats, but they acknowledge the number could be higher. A growing panther population is prompting debate about how to manage panthers in South Florida.