Page 130 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Panther is a term used to describe large, colour variant, wild cats belonging to the genus Panthera
in the family Felidae. The most common species referred to as panthers, are melanistic leopards
(Panthera pardus) in their black and white form and melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) also in black
and white. Also, the North America cougar (Puma concolor) is often referred to as a ‘Panther’, though
is not a member of the genus pan-
thera.

Panthers, both black and white,
can be roughly divided in to two
groups, the melanistic jaguars
found primarily in the Americas
and the melanistic leopards
found across Asia and Africa. The
white is the rarest of the variants.
One theory put forward for this lack
of numbers is its inability to breed
melanistic Leopard and jaguar
cubs. Another, is the white colour is
poor camouflage, making it easy for
hunters and predators to find it in
the dense dark foliage of the forests
it resides. The black melanistic
Leopard and jaguar are the most
successful. However, the black mel-
anistic jaguars and leopards of the
Americas and Africa, are relatively
rare and have never reached the numbers like those of the black Asian mela-
nistic leopard. Its believed to be the most successful of all the variants due to
its ability to breed solely melanistic Leopard cubs. Breeding groups of these
black leopards – Black Panthers – are today found only in Java and the Ma-
lay Peninsula.

Black Panthers Panthers are not classified as separate species. The melanistic jaguars
Rosettes of the Americas , for instance, exhibit most of the traits and dietary prefer-
ences of the Jaguar. However, the melanistic leopards of Asia do exhibit cer-
tain physical and behavioural differences from the leopard. They are leaner and slightly smaller than
the leopard. They’re also reported to be more aggressive. Unlike the leopard, which is often seen stalk-
ing prey out in the open, in the wild the melanistic leopard avoids open spaces, preferring to live deep
in the dark recesses of the forests and jungles of Asia, making it difficult for researchers to find and
monitor them. Most of what is known about this reclusive animal has been gleaned from those held in
captivity and from hidden cameras set up to record and capture them in their natural habitat.

See Also….
White tiger
Black tiger
White lion
Big cat Colour Morph
Anomalous Felids
Colour & pattern variations in other big cats