Panther / Black Panther
Page revised 12/26/2007
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  • Panther / Black Panther
  • Order: Carnivora
  • Family: Felidae
SUMMARY: Rudyard Kipling immortalized Black Panthers with the beloved character, Bagheera, in his much loved children's classic The Jungle Book.

The term "Black Panther" is quite often used in connection with large black cats - however there is no one distinct species of wild cat called a Black Panther. Over the years it has become used as a common name which can be applied to any large black coated cat. Both black leopards and black jaguars are often born in the same litter as the normal colored cats, because the black color, called melanism, is due to a recessive gene. So, melanistic cubs can be born to two spotted parents. The cats are actually dark brown, with the same pattern of black spots as any other leopard. There are no solid black big cats. The Florida Panther is a non-melanistic subspecies of the cougar.
See More Cheetah pictures Back to Big Cats Index See More Cheetah pictures View photos 1 thru 33 Read More About the Jaguar Read About the Panther