Are black panthers/leopards rare?
Black leopards, commonly referred to as panthers, are a genetic mutation – they have an excess of the dark pigment melanin. This is called being melanistic, and is rather like the opposite of albinism (total lack of pigment, resulting in white animals with pink eyes). They are therefore naturally going to occur less often than normally-coloured individuals. Melanism (and albinism) can occur in any species, but among cats melanism is most common in leopards and jaguars (some people also refer to black jaguars as panthers, though this is not technically correct). Black leopards are more common in Asia than in Africa, possibly because those in Asia tend to live in more forested habitat, where being black is less of a disadvantage. Note that ‘panther’ and ‘black panther’ should not be confused with Florida panther – this is the name commonly given to the subspecies of puma (also called cougar or mountain lion) found in Florida. When referring to this animal you should always say FLORIDA pa
