What types of panthers are there in the african rainforest?
There is no actual species called a panther. Panther is just the name given to melanistic leopards – that is, leopards with an excess of the dark pigment melanin, resulting in an almost totally black coat (the markings will still show up against the background in some lights). Leopards are very adaptable, and the most widespread of the large cats, being found across Africa and Asia and hunting many different kinds of prey (in Africa this usually consists of antelope and monkeys). Black leopards can occur in any population, but are more common in Asia than in Africa. The subspecies of puma (also called cougar or mountain lion) found in Florida is often referred to as the Florida panther – when talking about this animal, you should always say ‘Florida panther’ rather than just ‘panther’ to avoid confusion with a black leopard.
