There is no such thing as a black panther.
There won’t be a” black tiger” types if you open any industry guide to wild cats in the world.
Black( melanistic ) jaguars and leopards make up all of the large black cats you see on television and in zoos. They are a variation of those animals that exhibit an overabundance of dark paint in an albinism-like manner rather than their own species.
The term” panther” refers to the Felis concolor cat, also known as a lion, mountain lion, or painter, especially in Florida. However, no black specimens have ever been found by scientists. There have been a dozen white ones that were born in animals and were clearly captured on sport devices. Any black cougar information is at best hazy.
a panther in black. ( USFWS Image )
Having said that, there are countless studies of” black bobcats” in the US.
Since a recent article I wrote on the subject was widely shared on social media, I thought I may discuss it here. Although some of the information is the same as in an older story, this one also contains fresh data.
Since I’ve been looking into this trend since the beginning of my career, the majority of people who share a document think what they saw was savage black cougars( mountain lions ).
The issue is that despite the thousands of black cougars that are killed and brought on by hunters or biologists, there have never been any born in a zoo or captive environment.
There are some false black cougar mounts up there, including the one Todd Jurasek, a researcher, sent to us after spotting it in Oklahoma. Yet taxidermists advertise black dying cougars, but there aren’t any to kill and install in the wild.
All but two of the numerous photos that were sent to me and were labeled” black bengals”( that were clear enough to determine) were wild house cat, as I noted on my” Moore Outdoors” programme on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI.
Both of these animals were dark bobcats and jaguarundi.
Although some of the images were large, domestic animals were unquestionably represented by them. Some were very blurry to be recognized with certainty.
I wrote a piece titled Secret Of The Ebony Longtail for Texas Fish & Game in 2019. In it, I described the cats’ names that I had given them in my text Field Guide to Texas Wild Cats.
And I think they’re the reason for the majority of” black panther” observations.
I think this is true for three main reasons.
- Most People Don’t Determine Size: I’ve received dozens of bobcat photos that people mistakenly believed to be cougars. I’ve now realized that grizzlies are frequently spotted cougars in non-traditional habitats. Numerous” black panther” sightings have been physically recognized by me as domestic animals.
- Distribution: The only known black cat to live on an entire continent, fertile house cats are widely dispersed throughout North America and have sizable populations in some wooded areas. I’ve seen a lot of viewers wondering what kind of wild rabbit their game cameras have captured. They turned out to be light, tabby, and different colored wild house cats. There are many feral cats in the wilderness, but few people are expecting to see one. They frequently call a dark one” tiger” when they see one.
- According to recent study from Australia, which has a severe wild cat problem, these cats are expanding to much larger sizes than anyone would anticipate. According to recent statistics, wild cat sizes can reach 35 pounds, according to Oklahoma wildlife officials.
I’m intrigued by the long neck on these animals.
The feathers on many of the kitten pictures that have been sent to me are unusually long. This is the image that was sent to me five years ago and served as the inspiration for the title” Black Longtail.” A user who wants to be private sends this from Texas.
These cats have an interesting neck length that is comparable to some of the extra-large wild cats that have been reported in Australia.
Recently, I captured a pig pit I had set up in some nearby Texas woods in front of myself.
Look at this cat’s large ears and the length of its tail.
Fascinating, don’t you think?
Mr. Chester Moore’s MOULTRIE DIGITAL GAME CAMERA is shown in the data-medium – file =” https: // i0. wp.com / highercalling jpeg / net / wp-content / uploads / 2022 / 01 / feral – 1? fit = 300 % 2C158 & ssl = 1″ data – large file =” https: // i0″ wp.com / highercalling jpeg / net / wp – content / uploads / 2022 / 01 / feral Fit = 474 % 2C250 & ssl = 1″ data, recalculation, dims = 1, etc.The fact that these species are domesticated does not make them any less fascinating.
As I mentioned on my radio broadcast, I don’t think they fully explain the” black panther” phenomenon in America, but I do think it’s the cause of the vast majority of sightings.
You can read a tale I wrote about the other individuals around from years ago.
Next month, I’ll be writing another part on additional potential” black panther” sources.
Do you have any pictures of a enigmatic dark cat? I’d adore to view them.
I don’t mind if anyone makes beliefs about their observations. Not everyone is an expert on biodiversity, and there are many tones on social media and in the blogging community promoting theories that are perplexing.
Sorting through all the sound is challenging.
Send pictures to[ email protected ] I’d adore to see them and tell our audience about them.
Mr. Chester Moore
