Black Cats?

[brycejohnson]

I am fairly new to the forum, and haven't seen a topic about this yet. However, I know it has a bit of controversy that comes with it.

What does everybody think about black panthers here in the U.S.? I know my own opinion, but what are other peoples stories, experiences, knowledge, and beliefs on the topic? What do people think about 'black phased cougars' as opposed to 'black jaguars?' I am really interested on what everybody has to say. Lets here it.
Good hunting,
Bryce

[call-me-ish]

A few years ago I was working in Carlsbad, NM and went fishing one evening at the lake north of town. As I was driving in I saw a large black cat crossing a portion of dry lake bed at about a hundred yards from me. I stopped the vehicle and watched it travel about 300 yards to cover. I called it a black panther but a couple of guys I worked with (who were native to the area) said it was most likely a jaguar.

I was raised in southern Oklahoma and occassionally we had panther sightings. But where I lived and hunted there was an area that had what I would call "oscelots". They are long tailed, brownish spotty in color, and I would guess them to weigh 25-30 pounds. I probably saw them four or five times in my life while still hunting for squirrels. I never treed one or tried to run em with dogs, but on one occassion I saw a black one. It was the same size and features but black with the spotting.

These were most likely released by someone, but I witnessed them over the course of fifteen years or so. My dad believed they were native to the area, for he had seen them for many years.

[FullCryHounds]

I don't believe they exist.

[Mike Leonard]

I have never seen one myself, but I have two friends that have seen what they said was a large black cat about the size of a good sized labrador dog in the broad daylight.

One fellow was bowhunting and he was in New Mexico and he was in a ground blind and he observed this cat for about 15 minutes at about 150 yards. It was out in the sagebrush and he said it's back was above the sage and it was fairly tall for the type of sage we have here. this guy is not prone to big stories and he has been on quite a few lion hunts and seen lions in the tree.

the other guy was driving thru central Wyoming, and he observed this coal black cat stalking several antelope that were on the down wind side of the fill of a small stock pond. He said the animal appeared to weight about 60-70 pounds. he said about the size of a yearling female lion. this guy has seen many lions and even has a giant tom in the record books. So I don't know I am still waiting to see my first one.

I was contacted about 10 years ago by a British News Agency out of London. They asked if i would be interested in coming to Great Britain and bringing some of my trained lion dogs and seeing If I could track down a black panther that had been seen and photographed and even videoed. It was an interesting offer but it meant I would have to take a several month sebatical from my work and then quarantine my dogs before and after the trip. I just couldn't make it work but I spoke numerous times with the reporter who was trying to arrange the trip. I don't beleive they ever got a US hunter to go over and chase the thing.

[Big Mike]

Proof is in the pudding as they say. Thousands of lions killed but no proof of a black one.

We/I would like to hear the story behind that mount Dean!! Maybe proof???

[Big N' Blue]

Big Mike, 40to1 it was a black leopard that died in captivity. Am I right Dean or FOS like the village idiot from Kenya?? LOL

[MThound]

I would love to catch one with the dogs someday. The chance to see one would be amazing, but it sounds like a person may have better odds of winning the lottery. I had been curious of this same thing a few years ago and looked into the black panther. What I found was disappointing, but there is nothing to prove that one can’t exist.

The mountain lion, panther, or cougar (all the same animal) has never been recorded to carry the melanistic trait. This trait is found in almost all other species of cats. The black “panther” is either a jaguar or leopard. Both of these species have produced melanistic cats in captivity and in the wild. Black tigers have also been known to exist, but they are very rare.

The ocelot, found in North America, also have melanistic phases. These are much smaller than a lion, but can easily be mistaken for one. A couple of melanistic bobcats have also been captured and photographed. Texas and Florida also has small breeding populations of jaguarondi, which is a small dark colored cat. More than likely these account for many of the North American sightings.

Although most breeders and biologists agree melanistic cougars don’t exist, there is no evidence to prove that they can’t. With the amount of hunters, photographers, recreationists, and game cameras, the chances of photographing one is high. Hopefully one will defy the odds someday and prove us all wrong.

[kickemall]

When I see one in a tree or on someones tailgate I'll believe it, until then - no such thing. Thousands treed and killed and no black ones confirmed.

[Brent Sinclair]

I saw a mount at a local show here in Alberta years ago that was dark gray/brown...almost a blue color on the tips.....took a photo and have been looking for that photo as long and I have for my glasses....
I have tried as well to find out who owned the mount but that was in the mid 80's.
At a distance I have no doubt it would appear almost black.
Then I had a lady send me a photo of a black cat in her yard a few months ago....walking by a house deck and it is a good size cat??????
Still workin on that one.

How long did you have to keep that cat in the dye bucket Dean...?

[FullCryHounds]

OK, here are the facts. I caught this Mt. Lion in CO. I did not dye it. I sold it last year.

And here is how rumors get started.

[dwalton]

An old lion hunter that has been dead for years that I talked to a lot in my younger days. I asked if he had ever seen or heard of a black lion. His answer was yes he had treed one years ago and sold the hide for $100 which was a lot of money back then. He said that he always regretted that he sold it. I did not see it, what he said I never doubted. Dewey

[outlaw13]

How big is that cat dean.

[FullCryHounds]

140-150

[houndcrzy]

140-150

Can you tell us the story behind it?

[dirtydan]

One morning I left my house in Mayhill NM en route for my work station in Cloudcroft. A real dark almost black and kinda brindle looking cat about the size of a yearling lion was standing in the road less than fifty feet away. The cat was real odd looking and most definitely not a lion. I told my captain when I got to work and he laughed and said I was probably still drunk from the night before. About a week later we went to a fire outside of Timberon NM and when we finished up they fed us at the volunteer station. The old fella there had lots of info printed up on jaguarundi and claimed they had seen them multiple times there in the community. He showed me the info he had printed up and there was a picture indentical to the cat I saw. I know that for sure what I saw was a jaguarundi and the residents of that community have claimed to have seen them as well. As for black lions I have only heard rumors.