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There has never been a documented case of a black "panther" or black mountain lion in the United States, ever, not even in colonial days. The only large cat in the Americas that could be black is a jaguar. Amazingly, they did exist in the Southwestern states at one point before being killed off from CA to TX. Occasionally, one or two make their way up from Mexico into Arizona or Texas. I think there's one documented living in Arizona now.
Here's a good article about "black panthers" and what they are.
There has never been a documented case of a black "panther" or black mountain lion in the United States, ever, not even in colonial days. The only large cat in the Americas that could be black is a jaguar. Amazingly, they did exist in the Southwestern states at one point before being killed off from CA to TX. Occasionally, one or two make their way up from Mexico into Arizona or Texas. I think there's one documented living in Arizona now.
Here's a good article about "black panthers" and what they are.
Best guess: an unusually-colored Florida panther out of place in Mississippi or an escaped pet. Looks way to big to be a bobcat - and the build is wrong.
I live in Georgia, and I hit a big cat on my way home from work one day. He suddenly darted out from some short pines on my right, and I ran over him. When I looked in my rear-view mirror, he was spinning on his side in the road, and his body and tail stretched from one line to the other. I called DNR and they came out and identified it as a black panther. This cat looks exactly the same.
I live in Georgia, and I hit a big cat on my way home from work one day. He suddenly darted out from some short pines on my right, and I ran over him. When I looked in my rear-view mirror, he was spinning on his side in the road, and his body and tail stretched from one line to the other. I called DNR and they came out and identified it as a black panther. This cat looks exactly the same.
Well that's amazing because with the unconfirmed status of black, truly black (not tan or splotched) panther sightings in the US certainly this DNR officer would have publicized the road kill. There have been pictures and eyewitness reports, but never bodies in the US, it's never been truly confirmed as the guy in the post above indicated. It would be a big deal! a huge deal!!!, Like the nature equivalent of finding a body of ET, and would certainly make the papers and professional publications.
Just curious - do you have a link of the press report?
There has never been a documented case of a black "panther" or black mountain lion in the United States, ever, not even in colonial days. The only large cat in the Americas that could be black is a jaguar. Amazingly, they did exist in the Southwestern states at one point before being killed off from CA to TX. Occasionally, one or two make their way up from Mexico into Arizona or Texas. I think there's one documented living in Arizona now.
Here's a good article about "black panthers" and what they are.
Trick of the light, I can buy in the case of the video I posted; "house cat" or "dog" as the article says, the size and build of the animal in the video sure says a cougar to me (I think however the person making the video was wrong in saying it was a hundred yards away from him, looks more like half that distance).
There are no *scientifically documented* cases of a melanistic cougar in the U.S.; however, there continue to be reports of melanistic cougars and I find it hard to believe they're all misidentified house cats:
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There has never been a scientifically documented case of a melanistic mountain lion. In other words, a black mountain lion has never been trapped, shot, killed by an automobile, photographed or bred in a zoo in recorded history. However, many mountain lion sightings in North Dakota and other states are of "black" mountain lions.
Is it scientifically possible that there could be a melanistic cougar? The coloring of an animal like the cougar is dependent on genes turning on and off during embryonic development - the standard cougar has areas of black fur on it so it clearly carries a gene for black fur. If there were a mutation that turned the black allele on for all cells, you'd end up with a black cougar.
So interestingly, we end up with a discussion that's similar in many features to the arguments over bigfoot sightings in this forum -- difference being, there's much better video evidence in this case and we're talking about a known rather than a hypothetical species.
Well that's amazing because with the unconfirmed status of black, truly black (not tan or splotched) panther sightings in the US certainly this DNR officer would have publicized the road kill. There have been pictures and eyewitness reports, but never bodies in the US, it's never been truly confirmed as the guy in the post above indicated. It would be a big deal! a huge deal!!!, Like the nature equivalent of finding a body of ET, and would certainly make the papers and professional publications.
Just curious - do you have a link of the press report?
This was back in the early nineties before internet was widely available. I'll look up on that county's DNR and see if I can find anything.
It was pretty amazing, and I felt so bad. It was a beautiful creature. Lots of people stopped to admire the animal also.
This was back in the early nineties before internet was widely available. I'll look up on that county's DNR and see if I can find anything.
It was pretty amazing, and I felt so bad. It was a beautiful creature. Lots of people stopped to admire the animal also.
The employees who came to the scene may still be working, and if not they certainly would have spoken of this event to people who will remember. Very strange they made no reports or photographs, though, as I guarantee they did not.
The employees who came to the scene may still be working, and if not they certainly would have spoken of this event to people who will remember. Very strange they made no reports or photographs, though, as I guarantee they did not.
It's possible and I'm throwing this out there, that this was swept under the rug. Finding a cougar in the 1990s in Georgia would have political implications. Wildlife officials would have to deal with the general public and ranchers/farmers would fear for their lives and their livestock. Most people would freak out and some would demand they all be hunted down and exterminated while others would want to make it a local endangered species with all the implications that involves.
I heard of something similar happening in Conn in the 1980s and wildlife officials refused to recognize these large cats existed however rare in their state. Then low and behold another in Conn. This time the body was examined and DNA tests done. These of course were not black.
It's possible and I'm throwing this out there, that this was swept under the rug. Finding a cougar in the 1990s in Georgia would have political implications. Wildlife officials would have to deal with the general public and ranchers/farmers would fear for their lives and their livestock. Most people would freak out and some would demand they all be hunted down and exterminated while others would want to make it a local endangered species with all the implications that involves.
Funny you say that, because a search showed me forum after forum of people's sightings, while the DNR remains resolute that there are no black panthers in Georgia.
Funny you say that, because a search showed me forum after forum of people's sightings, while the DNR remains resolute that there are no black panthers in Georgia.
Well, finding a black panther and finding a cougar are two different things. A black panther (black mountain lion or cougar) as far as the scientific community goes does not exist. That would make national news across the United States. Finding a black panther that was a black Jaguar means it was kept as someones pet and it escaped.
Black cougars/mountain lions do not exist. Once again, there has never been a dead body found of one anywhere, not in the U.S or Mexico or Canada. I suppose it's genetically possible if being black is in their gene pool or if it's a mutation but the chances are almost zero of that happening.
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