Editing Black panther

{{Short description|Variant of leopard and jaguar}}
{{other uses|Black panther (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
[[File:Black Panther - India.jpg|right|thumb|A melanistic [[Indian leopard]] in [[Nagarhole National Park]], [[Karnataka]]]]

A '''black panther''' is the [[Melanism|melanistic]] colour variant of the [[leopard]] (''Panthera pardus'') and the [[jaguar]] (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black [[pigment]]s, but their typical [[Rosette (zoology)|rosettes]] are also present. They have been documented mostly in [[tropical forest]]s, with black leopards in Africa and Asia, and black jaguars in Central and South America. Melanism is caused by a [[recessive allele]] in the leopard, and by a [[dominant allele]] in the jaguar.

==Leopard==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical
 |image1=Blackleopard.JPG |caption1=A melanistic leopard at Out of Africa Wildlife Park in [[Camp Verde, Arizona]]
 |image2=Black leopard.JPG |caption2=Particularly prominent [[Rosette (zoology)|rosette]]s on a female black leopard at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in [[Kromdraai]]}}
In 1788, [[Jean-Claude Delamétherie]] described a black leopard that was kept in the [[Tower of London]] and had been brought from [[Bengal]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Delamétherie |first1=J.-C. |year=1788 |title=Description d'une Panthère noire |trans-title=Description of a black Panther |journal=Observations et Mémoires sur la Physique, sur l'Histoire Naturelle et sur les Arts et Métiers, etc. |volume=33 |page=45 |language=fr |url=https://archive.org/details/observationsetm33pari/page/45}}</ref> In 1794, [[Friedrich Albrecht Anton Meyer]] proposed the [[scientific name]] ''Felis fusca'' for this cat, the [[Indian leopard]] (''P. p. fusca'').<ref name=Meyer1794>{{cite book |last=Meyer, F. A. A. |year=1794 |title=Zoologische Annalen |volume=Erster Band |location=Weimar |publisher=Im Verlage des Industrie-Comptoirs |pages=394–396 |language=de |chapter=Über de la Metheries schwarzen Panther [About de la Metheries black Panther] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v4s-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA394 |access-date=14 January 2020 |archive-date=5 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240505145120/https://books.google.com/books?id=v4s-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA394#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Pocock1930b>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1930 |title=The Panthers and Ounces of Asia |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=307–336 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb34121930bomb/page/306/mode/2up}}</ref>
In 1809, [[Georges Cuvier]] described a black leopard kept in the [[Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes]] that had been brought from [[Java]]. Cuvier proposed the name ''Felis melas'', the [[Javan leopard]] (''P. p. melas'').<ref name=Pocock1930b/><ref>{{cite journal |author=Cuvier, G. |year=1809 |title=Recherches sur les espėces vivantes de grands chats, pour servir de preuves et d'éclaircissement au chapitre sur les carnassiers fossils |journal=Annales du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle |volume=XIV |pages=136–164 |url=https://archive.org/details/annalesdumusum14mus/page/152/mode/2up}}</ref> By the late 19th century, the occurrence of black and spotted leopard cubs in the same [[Litter (zoology)|litter]] had been repeatedly recorded in [[India]]. Black leopards were thought to be more common in [[Travancore]] and in the hills of [[southern India]] than in other parts of the country.<ref>{{cite book |author=Blanford, W. T. |year=1888 |title=The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia: Volume 1 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=London |pages=67–71 |chapter=''Felis pardus''. The Leopard or Panther |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mammalia00blaniala/page/66/mode/2up}}</ref> Black leopards were also frequently encountered in southern [[Myanmar]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Burma, its people and productions; or, Notes on the fauna, flora, and minerals of Tenasserim, Pegu, and Burma |author=Mason, F. |year=1882 |place=Hertford |publisher=Chief Commissioner of British Burma |edition=Rewritten and enlarged by W. Theobald |volume=1. Geology, mineralogy, and zoology |chapter=''F. pardus'', L. The leopard |page=472 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/burmaitspeoplepr01maso/page/472/mode/2up}}</ref>
By 1929, the [[Natural History Museum, London]] had skins of black leopards collected in [[South Africa]], [[Nepal]], [[Assam]] and [[Kanara]] in India.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1929 |title=Black panthers – an inquiry |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=693–694 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb33341929bomb/page/692/mode/2up}}</ref> Black leopards were thought to be common on the [[Malay Peninsula]] and on Java.<ref name=Pocock1930>{{cite journal |author=Pocock, R. I. |year=1930 |title=The Panthers and Ounces of Asia |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=65–82 |url=https://archive.org/details/journalofbomb34121930bomb/page/n137/mode/2up}}</ref>

A black [[African leopard]] (''P. p. pardus'') was sighted in the [[alpine zone]] of [[Mount Kenya]] in the winter of 1989–1990.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Young |first1=T. P. |last2=Evans |first2=M. E. |name-list-style=amp |title=Alpine vertebrates of Mount Kenya, with particular notes on the rock hyrax |journal=Journal of the East African Natural History Society |date=1993 |volume=82 |issue=202 |pages=54–79}}</ref>
In Kenya's [[Laikipia County]], a black leopard was photographed by a [[camera trap]] in 2007; in 2018, a female subadult black leopard was repeatedly recorded together with a spotted leopard about {{cvt|50|km}} farther east in a grassland.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Pilfold, N. W. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Letoluai, A. |author3=Ruppert, K. |author4=Glikman, J. A. |author5=Stacy-Dawes, J. |author6=O'Connor, D. |author7=Owen, M. |year=2019 |title=Confirmation of black leopard (''Panthera pardus pardus'') living in Laikipia County, Kenya |journal=African Journal of Ecology |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=270–273 |doi=10.1111/aje.12586 |bibcode=2019AfJEc..57..270P |s2cid=92543492}}</ref>

In India's [[Western Ghats]], black leopards were sighted and photographed in 2010 and 2012 in the [[Kas Plateau Reserved Forest]], and in [[Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sayyed, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Mahabal, A. |year=2013 |title=Records of the melanistic Leopard ''Panthera pardus'' (Linnaeus) from Western Ghats area of Maharashtra and Karnataka, India |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=110 |issue=2 |page=151}}</ref> In 2015, a dead black leopard was found on a highway near [[Satara (city)|Satara]] in [[Maharashtra]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sayyed, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Mahabal, A. |year=2015 |title=Second record of melanistic leopard ''Panthera pardus'' (Linnaeus) from Satara, Maharashtra: a case of roadkill |journal=Zoo's Print |volume=30 |issue=5 |page=29}}</ref>
In May 2012, a black leopard was photographed at an elevation of {{cvt|4300|m}} in Nepal's [[Kanchenjunga Conservation Area]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thapa |first1=K. |last2=Pradhan |first2=N. M. B. |last3=Barker |first3=J. |last4=Dahal |first4=M. |last5=Bhandari |first5=A. R. |last6=Gurung |first6=G. S. |last7=Rai |first7=D. P. |last8=Thapa |first8=G. J. |last9=Shrestha |first9=S. |last10=Singh |first10=G. R. |year=2013 |title=High elevation record of a leopard cat in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal |journal=Cat News |issue=58 |pages=26–27}}</ref>

At least one black leopard was photographed in mixed [[deciduous]] forest in Thailand's [[Kaeng Krachan National Park]] during a one-year-long camera trapping survey from 2003 to 2004.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ngoprasert, D. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Lynam, A. J. |author3=Gale, G. A. |year=2007 |title=Human disturbance affects habitat use and behaviour of Asiatic leopard "Panthera pardus" in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand |journal=Oryx |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=343–351 |doi=10.1017/S0030605307001102 |doi-access=free}}</ref> In 2009, black leopards were photographed more often than spotted leopards in [[Kui Buri National Park]].<ref>{{cite report |author1=Steinmetz, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seuaturien, N. |author3=Chutipong, W. |author4=Poonnil, B. |year=2009 |title=The ecology and conservation of tigers and their prey in Kuiburi National Park, Thailand |publisher=WWF Thailand, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation |location=Bangkok |url=https://wwfasia.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/kuiburi_tiger_project_annual_report__aug_31_2009.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502194409/https://wwfasia.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/kuiburi_tiger_project_annual_report__aug_31_2009.pdf |archive-date=2021-05-02 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Most leopards recorded at 16 sites south of the [[Kra Isthmus]] between 1996 and 2009 were black, indicating a near-[[Fixed allele|fixation]] of melanism in Peninsular Malaysia.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kawanishi |first=K. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |author3=Eizirik, E. |author4=Lynam, A. J. |author5=Ngoprasert, D. |author6=Shahruddin, W. N. W. |author7=Rayan, D. M. |author8=Sharma, D. S. K. |author9=Steinmetz, R. |name-list-style=amp |title=Near fixation of melanism in panthers of the Malay Peninsula |journal=Journal of Zoology |year=2010 |volume=282 |issue=3 |pages=201–206 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00731.x}}</ref> In 2019, a black individual was photographed outside a protected area in [[Jeli District]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Hambali, K. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Fazli, N. F. M. |author3=Amir, A. |author4=Fauzi, N. |author5=Hassin, N. H. |author6=Abas, M. A. |author7=Karim, M. F. A. |author8=Sow, A. Y. |year=2021 |title=The discovery of a melanistc Leopard ''Panthera pardus delacouri'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) at Bukit Kudung in Jeli, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia: conservation and ecotourism |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=17513–17516 |doi=10.11609/jott.6060.13.1.17513-17516 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
Both black and spotted leopards were recorded in [[Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park]] in [[West Java]] between 2005 and 2017.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Ario, A. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Supian |author3=Hidayat, E. |author4=Hidayatullah, R. |author5=Rustiadi, A. |author6=Gunawan, A. |author7=Triprajawan, T. |author8=Sopian, I. |author9=Zatnika, R. R. |author10=Yusup, D. M. |author11=Hindrayani, W. |author12=Mulyanto, A. |author13=Iskandar, D. |year=2018 |title=Population dynamics and ecology of Javan leopard, ''Panthera pardus melas'', in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, West Java |journal=Journal of Indonesian Natural History |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=6–13 |url=http://jinh.fmipa.unand.ac.id/index.php/jinh/article/view/106/75 |access-date=15 May 2021 |archive-date=27 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927124141/http://jinh.fmipa.unand.ac.id/index.php/jinh/article/view/106/75 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Frequency of melanism appears to be approximately 11% over the leopard's range. Data on the distribution of leopard populations indicates that melanism occurs in five subspecies in the wild: the Indian leopard, Javan leopard, African leopard, [[Indochinese leopard]] (''P. p. delacouri'') and [[Sri Lankan leopard]] (''P. p. kotiya''). Based on records from camera traps, melanistic leopards occur foremost in [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests]].<ref name=daSilva17>{{cite journal |author1=Da Silva, L. G. |author2=Kawanishi, K. |first=K. |author3=Henschel P. |author4=Kittle, A. |author5=Sanei, A. |author6=Reebin, A. |author7=Miquelle, D. |author8=Stein, A. B. |author9=Watson, A. |author10=Kekule, L. B. |author11=Machado, R. B. |author12=Eizirik, E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2017 |title=Mapping black panthers: Macroecological modeling of melanism in leopards (''Panthera pardus'') |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=e0170378 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0170378 |pmid=28379961 |pmc=5381760 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1270378D |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Melanism in the leopard is conferred by a [[recessive allele]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Robinson, R. |s2cid=5446868 |year=1970 |title=Inheritance of the black form of the leopard ''Panthera pardus'' |journal=Genetica |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=190–197 |doi=10.1007/BF00958904 |pmid=5480762}}</ref>
It is thought that melanism confers a [[Natural selection#Fitness|selective advantage]] under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower. Preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the [[immune system]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Sunquist, F. |date=2007 |title=Malaysian Mystery Leopards |journal=[[National Wildlife Magazine]] |volume=45 |issue=1 |url=https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2007/Malasian-Mystery |access-date=6 January 2020 |archive-date=13 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813093112/https://www.nwf.org/en/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2007/Malasian-Mystery |url-status=live}}</ref>
The typical spots and rosettes are present but hidden due to the excess melanin.<ref name=Schneider_al12>{{cite journal |author1=Schneider, A. |author2=David, V. A. |author3=Johnson, W. E. |author4=O'Brien, S. J. |author5=Barsh, G. S. |author6=Menotti-Raymond, M. |author7=Eizirik, E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2012 |title=How the leopard hides its spots: ASIP mutations and melanism in wild cats |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=7 |issue=12 |pages=e50386 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0050386|pmid=23251368 |pmc=3520955 |bibcode=2012PLoSO...750386S |doi-access=free}}</ref>

The [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic]] status of [[captive animal|captive]] black leopards and the extent of [[Hybridisation (biology)|hybridization]] between the Javan leopard and other [[Leopard#Living subspecies|leopard subspecies]] is uncertain. Therefore, coordinated breeding programs for black leopards do not exist in European and North American zoos.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Gippoliti, S. |author2=Meijaard, E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2007 |title=Taxonomic uniqueness of the Javan Leopard; an opportunity for zoos to save it |journal=Contributions to Zoology |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=55–57 |url=http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/record/217425 |doi=10.1163/18759866-07601005 |s2cid=55715897 |access-date=4 September 2019 |archive-date=8 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008151849/https://www.repository.naturalis.nl/record/217425 |url-status=live }}</ref> Black leopards occupy space needed for breeding endangered leopard subspecies and are not included within the North American [[Species Survival Plan]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Richardson, D. M. |year=2001 |chapter=A simple analysis of leopard (''Panthera pardus'') space within EAZA collections |pages=391–392 |title=EAZA Yearbook 1999/2000 |editor1-last=Hiddinga, B. |editor2-last=Brouwer, K. |publisher=EAZA Executive Office |location=Amsterdam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Swanson, B. |author2=Fletchall, N. |author3=Shoemaker, A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2003 |title=Felid Taxon Advisory Group North American Regional Collection Plan 2003–2005 |publisher=Disney's Animal Kingdom |location=Bay Lake}}</ref>
A black [[Amur leopard]] (''P. p. orientalis'') was exhibited at the [[San Diego Zoo]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |first=D. |last=Parham |title=Black Beauty |date=2017 |url=https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/zoonooz/black-beauty/ |website=Zoonooz |access-date=24 October 2018 |archive-date=24 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024152518/https://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/zoonooz/black-beauty/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

A pseudo-melanistic leopard has a normal background color, but the spots are more densely packed than normal, and merge to obscure the golden-brown background color. Any spots on the flanks and limbs that have not merged into the mass of swirls and stripes are unusually small and discrete, rather than forming rosettes. The face and underparts are paler and dappled, like those of ordinary spotted leopards.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gamble |first=C. |title=Leopards: Natural History & Conservation |year=2004 |publisher=Voyageur Press |location=Stillwater, MN |isbn=978-0896586567}}</ref>

==Jaguar==
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |image1=black jaguar.jpg |caption1=A melanistic jaguar |image2=Jaguar.jpg |caption2=A melanistic jaguar at the [[Henry Doorly Zoo]]}}
In 1801, [[Félix de Azara]] described a black jaguar observed by local people near the [[Paraná River]] in Paraguay.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Azara, F. de |year=1801 |title=Essais sur l'histoire naturelle des quadrupedes de la province du Paraguay |volume=1 |publisher=Charles Pougens |location=Paris |chapter=L'Yagouarété |pages=114–132 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/essaissurlhistoi00azar/page/n203}}</ref>
In 2004, a female black jaguar was recorded in Mexico's [[Sierra Madre Occidental]].<ref name=Dinets>{{cite journal |last1=Dinets |first1=V. |last2=Polechla |first2=P. J. |name-list-style=amp |title=First documentation of melanism in the jaguar (''Panthera onca'') from northern Mexico |date=2005 |journal=Cat News |volume=42 |page=18 |url=http://dinets.travel.ru/blackjaguar.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926024755/http://dinets.travel.ru/blackjaguar.htm |archive-date=26 September 2006}}</ref>
In 2009, a black jaguar was photographed by a camera trap for the first time in Costa Rica's [[Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Núñez, M. C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Jiménez, E. C. |year=2009 |title=A new record of a black jaguar, ''Panthera onca'' (Carnivora: Felidae) in Costa Rica |journal=Brenesia |volume=71 |pages=67–68 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313473228 |access-date=12 April 2021 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129021258/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313473228_New_record_of_a_black_jaguar_Panthera_onca_Carnivora_Felidae_in_Costa_Rica |url-status=live}}</ref>
In [[Barbilla National Park]], black jaguars were recorded in 2013.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sáenz-Bolaños, C. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Montalvo, V. |author3=Fuller, T. K. |author4=Carrillo, E. |year=2015 |title=Records of black jaguars at Parque Nacional Barbilla, Costa Rica |journal=Cat News |issue=62 |pages=38–39}}</ref>
In the mountains of the [[Cordillera de Talamanca]], 104 records of jaguars were obtained between 2010 and 2019; 26 of them showed melanistic jaguars.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Mooring, M. S. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Eppert, A. A. |author3=Botts, R. T. |year=2020 |title=Natural Selection of Melanism in Costa Rican Jaguar and Oncilla: A Test of Gloger's Rule and the Temporal Segregation Hypothesis |journal=Tropical Conservation Science |volume=13 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.1177/1940082920910364 |doi-access=free}}</ref> 
In eastern Panama, black jaguars were repeatedly photographed in the [[Mamoní River]] Valley between 2016 and 2018, mostly in [[primary forest]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Yacelga, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Craighead, K. |year=2019 |title=Melanistic jaguars in Panama |journal=Cat News |issue=70 |pages=39–41 |url=https://www.academia.edu/41977728 |access-date=14 April 2021 |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129021257/https://www.academia.edu/41977728 |url-status=live }}</ref> Five black jaguars have been monitored in the [[Várzea forest]] of [[Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve]] in the Brazilian State of [[Amazonas (Brazilian state)|Amazonas]] between 2003 and 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cunha|first=J. |title=Onça-preta é monitorada na Amazônia por pesquisadores do Instituto Mamirauá |work=Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá |language=pt-br |url=https://www.mamiraua.org.br/noticias/onca-preta-e-monitorada-na-amazonia-por-pesquisadores-do-instituto-mamiraua |access-date=2022-08-20 |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820190257/https://www.mamiraua.org.br/noticias/onca-preta-e-monitorada-na-amazonia-por-pesquisadores-do-instituto-mamiraua |url-status=live}}</ref>
Black jaguars were also recorded in the Brazilian [[Pará]] state.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Wiig, Ø. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Da Silva Teixeira, K. |author3=Sena, L. |author4=Santos de Oliveira, H.C. |author5=Mendes-Oliveira, A.C. |year=2023 |title=Identifying individual jaguars from camera-trap images using the HotSpotter program |journal=Mammalia |volume=87 |issue=6 |pages=602–605 |doi=10.1515/mammalia-2023-0071 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Melanism in the jaguar is caused by deletions in the [[melanocortin 1 receptor]] gene and conferred by a [[dominant allele]].<ref name=Eizirik_al03>{{cite journal |author1=Eizirik, E. |author2=Yuhki, N. |author3=Johnson, W. E. |author4=Menotti-Raymond, M. |author5=Hannah, S. S. |author6=O'Brien, S. J. |s2cid=19021807 |name-list-style=amp |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |journal=Current Biology |year=2003 |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E }}</ref>

== 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>

== In Australia ==
Black panther sightings are frequently recorded in rural [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]]<ref name=smh2010-06-20>{{cite web |last=Duff |first=E. |title=On the hunt for the big cat that refuses to die |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=2010 |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/on-the-hunt-for-the-big-cat-that-refuses-to-die-20100619-ynw2.html |accessdate=2010-06-23 |quote=Rumours have circulated for decades about a colony of panther-like cats roaming Sydney's western fringes and beyond: from Lithgow to Mudgee and the Hawkesbury to the Hunter Valley.}}
</ref>
The ''Animal X Natural Mysteries Unit'' led an investigation into the phantom panther. Mike Williams, a local researcher, said he had sent scat and hair found by locals to labs for analysis, which identified it as scat from dogs that had feasted on [[swamp wallaby]], and hair from a domestic cat. Williams said he also had leopard scat and hair collected from a private zoo tested by one of the same labs, but that these samples came back with the same results of dog scat and domestic cat hair. The lab used was not identified in the episode.<ref name = AnimalX>{{Cite episode |title= Alien Big Cats - Australian Investigation |series=Animal X |series-number=3 |number=10}}</ref>

==Cougar==
There is no authenticated case of a truly melanistic [[cougar]]. No specimen has been photographed or killed in the wild, nor has it ever been bred in captivity. Unconfirmed sightings known as the "North American black panther" are currently attributed to errors in species identification by non-experts, and by the [[mimesis|mimetic]] exaggeration of size.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Holbert|first1=C. |date=2002 |title=Stranded in the Wasteland: Literary Allusion in The Sharpest Sight |journal=Studies in American Indian Literatures |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=3|jstor=20737121 }}</ref><ref>{{citation|first=Chester|last=Moore, Jr.|title=Black Cougars Don't Exist!|url=https://fishgame.com/2020/01/black-cougars-dont-exist/|work=fishgame.com|date=January 2020}}</ref>{{clarify|reason=species misidentification of *what*? exaggeration of size of *what*? cougars are bigger than leopards, but jaguars are bigger than cougars. if a black panther were to be in North America, and it wasn't a cougar, twould be a jaguar - and thus bigger thana cougar|date=July 2021}}

==See also==
* [[Black cat]]
* [[Tiger#Colour_variations|Black tiger]]
* [[White panther]]
*[[Bagheera]], a black leopard in Rudyard Kipling's 1894 short story collection ''[[The Jungle Book]]''
*[[Black Panther (character)|Black Panther]], a Marvel superhero and king of [[Wakanda]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{cite news |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/photographer-of-the-viral-black-panther-images-from-india-shares-his-story/articleshow/76830618.cms |last=Dash|first=S. |title=Interview: Shaaz Jung opens up about the blood, sweat and years behind the viral images of a rare black panther |date=2020 |work=Business Insider India |access-date=4 May 2021}}
*{{cite AV media |title=The Real Black Panther – Black Leopard Spotted in Kenya |type=Video |publisher=San Diego Zoo |date=2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDsB-qTLLk| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/5aDsB-qTLLk| archive-date=2021-11-03 | url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
*{{cite web |author=Svidraitė, J. |date=2020 |title="I Could Wait 6 Years for a Moment Like This": Wildlife Photographer Waits 6 Days for a Perfect Leopard and a Black Panther Shot |website=BoredPanda |url=https://www.boredpanda.com/wildlife-photography-leopard-mithunhphotography-india/}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black panther}}
[[Category:Felid color morphs]]
[[Category:Leopards]]
[[Category:Jaguars]]