The Florida panther is a subspecies of puma or cougar, Puma concolor coryi. Unlike leopards and jaguars, pumas do not exhibit melanism, meaning Florida panthers are never black. Can panthers be black? Simply put, a "black panther" is not its own species-it's an umbrella term that covers any big cat with a black coat.
A panther is defined as a melanistic color variant of other species in the Panthera genus of which both jaguars and leopards belong. Florida Panther. Flickr photo by Connie Bransilver 7.
The melanistic color of the Panthera species only happens about 5 percent of the time. This means that only 5 percent of Panthera species have darker pigmentation and, to the average viewer, appear to be a "black panther." Melanistic jaguar and its sibling. Identifying Florida's Wild Cats Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) Color: light to dark tan.
There are no black Florida panthers. Florida panthers are an endangered species and the only big cat East of the Mississippi River. about their biology, habits, and some common misconceptions in Panther Facts.
Florida's swamp shadow, the panther remains one of the ten most threatened mammals in the U.S., and the most endangered big cat in North America today. Florida panthers are spotted at birth, and typically have blue eyes. As the panther grows, the spots fade and the coat becomes completely tan, while the eyes typically take on a yellow hue.
The panther's underbelly is a creamy white, and it has black tips on the tail and ears. Florida panthers lack the ability to roar, and instead make distinct sounds that include whistles, chirps, growls. Are Florida panther black? No.
Florida panthers are only found in the tan color. It is the leopard or jaguar that can have a black coat and gets the nickname black panther, but there is no separate black cat called a panther. If you look closely at either a black leopard or black jaguar in the sun, you can still see their spots.
Panther is a name used to describe leopards and jaguars with all black fur, and the Florida panther in the USA. Can a Florida panther be black? Some people claim to have seen black cougars, which are sometimes referred to as Florida Panthers (despite the fact that they are not in the Panthera category) and thus extrapolate the term black panther, but Florida Panthers are always tan.