Editing Black panther (section)

== In the United States ==
There have been numerous reported black panther sightings in the [[New Orleans]] area since late 2010. Recent photographs are still{{When|date=March 2012}} under examination by the [[Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries]].<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |title=Despite scientific skepticism, black panther sighting reported in St. Tammany
 |publisher=NOLA.com |url =http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/11/despite_scientific_skepticism.html |accessdate=2011-11-30}}</ref>

In Florida, a few melanistic [[bobcat]]s have been captured; these have apparently been mistaken for [[Florida panther]]s (a subspecies of cougar). Ulmer (1941) presents photographs and descriptions of two animals captured in [[Martin County, Florida|Martin County]] in 1939 and 1940. In the photographs, they appear black, and one of the hunters called them black.
<blockquote>The Academy specimen, upon close examination, is far from black. The most heavily pigmented portions are the crown and dorsal area. In most lights these areas appear black, but at certain angles the dorsal strip has a decidedly mahogany tint. The mahogany coloring becomes lighter and richer on the sides. The underparts are lightest, being almost ferruginous in color. The chin, throat and cheeks are dark chocolate-brown, but the facial stripes can be seen clearly. The limbs are dark mahogany. In certain lights the typical spot-pattern of the Florida bobcat can be distinctly seen on the side, underparts and limbs. The Bronx Park animal appears darker and the spots are not visible, although the poor light in the quarantine cage may have been the reason.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=1374954 |title=Melanism in the Felidae, with Special Reference to the Genus Lynx |last1=Ulmer |first1=F. A. |journal=Journal of Mammalogy |date=1941 |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=285–288 |doi=10.2307/1374954 }}</ref></blockquote>