All panthers are associated with aggression and cruelty. This is probably to some extent due to the black color of their coat. It is generally accepted that this is the main color that arose due to an overdose of melanin. In fact, there is not as much of this species as it seems. The bulk of the animals have skin of black and brown tones.
White panthers are extremely rare. Scientists believe that the color of their coat may be associated with a disease (leucism) or albinism. Other options are not considered, since White color for a panther it is unnatural and is considered an exception to the rule. Cats with this color are born with approximately the same frequency as other albino animals.
Appearance and other features
Experts' debates about this beast still do not subside. Some believe that it should be separated from general view panthers and classified as pumas and jaguars. Others argue that the physiological description of an albino animal is the same as that of its dark relatives.
Average body length predatory cat reaches 1 meter, height - 70 cm, and weight - about 60 kg. Her tail is long - about 1 meter. This is what she is, a white panther! The photo eloquently confirms that outwardly she looks the same as her colored counterparts. In addition, an albino cat has a specific feature that is unique to panthers.
This is the brightest distinguishing feature these animals from other predators, which allows them to emit a powerful roar. It has been proven that the panther's larynx can swell this way due to the fact that there is a flexible ligament on one of the bones of their hyoid apparatus. Moreover, you yourself vocal cords have a tubular structure, which makes the predator's roar spectacular.
These wild cats have well-developed senses of smell, including albinos. It should be noted that there is no concept of a “flock of white panthers”; most likely, it will be one, very rarely two cats among their dark relatives.
Where do panthers live?
These predators live in southwest China, in tropical forests South and South-East Asia, in Nepal, Burma and South India. The habitat is quite wide. Panthers are found on the island of Java, Ethiopia, the forests of Kenya and Aberderes in Africa.
Often wild cats live near populated areas, but try to stay apart. During the daytime, they rest by climbing trees. This situation provides them with security. When it gets dark, panthers go hunting.
How do cats hunt?
They look for their prey on the ground, but often hunt in trees. For example, monkeys. Like all members of the cat family, panthers are flexible and agile animals. They can easily jump onto trees about 6 meters high.
Some readers may be interested in how black and white predators hunt, and what differences exist between them. The white panther is more cautious at the instinct level.
It is easier for a dark animal to hunt due to its color. After all, a white cat has to make more efforts to remain unnoticed at night. To do this, she carefully disguises herself in dense thickets plants.
Not like everyone else
It has been proven that an albino cat has significantly reduced hearing and has visual impairments. It tends to take a little longer to look for game than black ones, and has to rely mainly on its sense of smell. Otherwise, its habits are not much different from the behavior of other panthers.
She also drags her prey onto tree branches so that other predators do not take it away. However, scientists emphasize that it is difficult for an albino panther to survive in wildlife. It is noted that when there is a shortage of game, the white beauty feeds on eggs various birds, fruits and herbs growing in the habitat.
It is curious that dark panthers do not always perceive an albino cat as a sexual partner. Therefore, she rarely takes part in mating games and can keep to herself in a flock. Although scientists do not confirm aggression from relatives. If mating does occur, then the white panther often gives birth to albinos.
It has been proven that in the wild the life expectancy of dark panthers is 10-12 years, in captivity - about 20 years. They live even shorter - in the wild 5-6 years, in zoos up to 12-15 years. Circus trainers note that panthers are too unpredictable to work in the arena. Including white ones.
Therefore, cats of this species are a rare sight in the circus arena. Despite this, panthers are considered endangered animals. After all, people hunt them for their beautiful fur. Every day the number of these beauties is decreasing. They are often confused with leopards, and white panthers with pumas. If you ask a native: “Are there white panthers in your area?” - then you can get the answer: “Big white cats live high in the mountains, and almost no one sees them.”
In fact we're talking about about pumas and leopards. Despite their similarity, they differ from each other. For example, leopards are much smaller in size. Cougars do indeed come in light colors: grayish, reddish, but pure white is rare. In addition, they are larger than panthers, and their tails are shorter.
There are others significant differences in the bony skeleton between all these cats. Finally, white panthers are found in forests, and pumas live in mountainous areas.
Legends
There are so many myths about white cats! They glorify the beauty, agility and grace of the panther. In ancient legends, this beast is often personified with the image of a woman: strong, but aggressive and treacherous.
In Greece, this animal was considered the god of winemaking. People thought that the panther patronized alcoholic feasts and drunken behavior. Other peoples believed that this cat was capable of releasing dark forces. Therefore, they often brought sacrifices to panther habitats - a bird, a lamb, a kid, trying to appease the animal with such behavior. But there were also those who saw the wild cat as their patroness and protector.
According to some legends, only a panther could defeat a dragon in a duel and protect the people from its fiery evil. There is a legend that the best mothers among animals are white panthers. The animal world highlights their special fearlessness and extraordinary love to your own children.
The Tale of the White Panther
By ancient belief, the once black panther desperately defended her kittens from an attacking dragon, despite the fact that it burned her beautiful black fur. But victory went to her - the fire-breathing enemy was defeated! As a sign of admiration, the gods of the jungle gave the panther a new color - snow-white fur, to distinguish it from others.
In fact, white panthers give birth extremely rarely, in one case out of a thousand. Apparently, this is what accounts for her incredible affection for the cubs. Locals still believe this legend and believe good sign see a white panther among black cats. Truly a beautiful sight!
This black beauty is a flexible and fearless animal. The panther is the heroine of numerous fairy tales, legends and myths. Goddess of the animal world, graceful and majestic... This is all a black panther - a wild cat. One of the most mysterious predators on our planet.
Why black?
It is a mistaken belief that a panther must be black. This is wrong. The fact is that the black panther is not a separate species, but just a subspecies of the cat family. In fact, it is a leopard or jaguar with black fur. Such animals are also called melanists, and their color is determined by their habitat and lifestyle. Since the black panther lives in dense forests and hunts at night, it is convenient for it to have this color. At the same time, its mountain relatives are white, and the abodes of savannahs and steppes are yellow with black speckles.
By the way, the skin of a black panther is often heterogeneous. It may have light spots and be brown with a black tint. Panthers different colors They interbreed well and produce offspring. If in a family one of the parents is black and the other is yellow, then the cubs are most likely to be yellow, since this color is genetically stronger. To be guaranteed to get dark offspring, you need to cross two black individuals.
Physiological characteristics of the black panther
The Panther is a well-built wild cat with a harmonious, flexible body, beautiful strong paws and a long tail. Its weight is approximately 60 kg, its height is 70 cm, and its body length is from one to two meters. This is a very graceful animal. The panther has well-developed sense of smell, which helps it hunt. Movements wild cat smooth and silent. This plus the black color, which allows it to blend into the night, allows the predator to sneak up on the prey unnoticed and take it by surprise.
An interesting feature of panthers is their specific larynx, which can inflate thanks to the flexible bone of the hyoid apparatus. This structure of the vocal apparatus allows them to produce chilling roar She runs at a speed of 60 m/s, and her jump height reaches six meters. As you can see, this wild cat is a fairly fast animal. The panther easily catches up with its prey.
Lifespan
A panther lives on average 12 years. In captivity, its lifespan increases to 20. True, keeping a black cat in a cage, much less training it, is not the best idea. After all, the panther is very aggressive, willful and has no fear of anyone. Neither before the king of beasts - the lion, nor before the ruler of the planet - man. Being around her is simply dangerous.
Where does the black panther live and how does it hunt?
The main habitat of black panthers is the tropical forests of Africa, Asia and South America. Most often, they prefer to stay away from human habitation, but there are also cases when wild cats live near villages and cities.
Panther is a predator. Her favorite food - meat of large and medium-sized ungulates, but in the most extreme cases she can be content with monkeys, bird eggs and even fruits. Panthers in the wild are able to go without food for 4-5 days. And when they are hungry, they represent a terrible force that threatens even humans. There are frequent cases of panthers attacking sleeping people, and a cow stolen from a barn is generally a common occurrence. At the same time, a well-fed panther will not touch even a kid located at an outstretched paw distance.
The predator looks out for and kills its victims on the ground (often at watering holes), and likes to dine in a tree, lying on its stomach and tearing off large pieces of meat with a jerk of its head. There, among the branches, at a height of more than five meters, she sleeps during the day before the night hunt.
Features of reproduction
Pregnancy in panthers lasts 3-3.5 months, after which charming kittens are born. Most often there are two of them, less often - one and very rarely - 4-5 babies. Large litters are typical for cats living in warm regions. Panther - caring mother. For childbirth she is looking for a deaf one, dark place away from prying eyes. This could be either a hole under the roots of trees, or a cave, or a hollow.
The wild cat devotes all her time to the kids. She does not leave them for a minute and does not let anyone, not even the father, near her children. Without hesitation he would give his life for them. For the first 10 days, the panther practically does not eat or drink, since it does not leave its den. She is content only with what the male brings her, and sometimes drives herself to starvation. When the kittens become sighted and begin to hear, the mother slowly returns to her former life, but continues to care for the children until they are one year old.
Panther in mythology and fairy tales
The most famous representative of these wild cats is the heroine of the fairy tale “Mowgli” by Kipling. By the way, in the original “The Jungle Book” it was not about the beautiful Bagheera, but about a handsome man named Bagheera. The gender change occurred already during translation into Russian.
And, of course, Kipling is not the first to put the panther on a pedestal. For example, the Sumerians considered her the goddess of fertility and love; the Chinese associated the panther with woman in all its forms; For the Indians, the black jaguar was the embodiment of limitless strength and power. Even christian religion did not ignore this unique animal. In the Hebrew commentary of the Holy Scriptures, the name of Mary’s husband, Joseph, is translated as “panther,” and this man himself is endowed with the gift of healing from illness and salvation from certain death.
This is such a unique animal. The panther is highly respected by humans, and this is not surprising. After all, she is not only dazzlingly beautiful. Her intelligence, wisdom, dexterity and desperate fearlessness evoke genuine admiration!
The black panther is an incredibly beautiful animal. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase “black panther” is the wonderful fairy tale “Mowgli” by Rudyard Kipling.
Remember Bagheera’s exquisite grace, her contralto, her lazy imposingness. Remembering this image, it is not difficult to agree that the black panther was not without reason a symbol of the goddess of love and fertility in Sumerian mythology.
The black panther is a fairly rare animal found in nature. Her beauty is beyond doubt. 
Black Panther is not a separate species, but is a genetic color variant (melanism) of some cat species - most often a leopard or a jaguar. The existence of melanistic pumas has not been confirmed. The skin of a black panther is not perfectly black; to a greater or lesser extent, visible spots are always visible on it. E. Ji wrote in “Wild Animals of India” that there are even special “underpanthers” in which black spots are clearly visible on a light chocolate background. Apart from color, black and spotted leopards are no different; they interbreed freely and produce fertile offspring. The cubs from such pairs can be very different - both spotted and black. But the latter is less common because the black gene is recessive and is often suppressed by the spotted gene.
The first surprise in studying panthers for nondefault was that the panther turned out to be a much broader concept than the average Jungle Book reader, that is, me, thinks. Despite the fact that in Western literature, panther refers to leopard (leopard), it turns out that panthers (lat. Panthera) are a genus of large animals in the cat family, consisting of four well-known species: tiger (lat. Panthera tigris), lion (lat. Panthera leo), leopard (lat. Panthera pardus) and jaguar (lat. Panthera onca). The black panther is not a separate species, but is a genetic color variant (melanism) of some types of cats - most often, a leopard or a jaguar.
The black panther was undoubtedly the most intriguing, and therefore it was previously believed that not the panther is a subspecies of leopards, but the leopard is a hybrid of a panther and a lion, hence its name: “leo” - Latin name lion, "pard" is an old variant of the word panther.
Particularly fanatical scientists even cross different types panthers, this produces:
Tiger lion or tigon is a hybrid of a male tiger and a female lioness (never found in nature, since tigers and lions have different habits, manners and distribution areas.)
The liger is a hybrid of a male lion and a female tigress (today it is the largest of the panthers)
Leopon is a hybrid of a male leopard and a female lioness.
The heraldic panther is always depicted as “incensed,” that is, fire-breathing (enraged), with flames escaping from its mouth and ears. The creature is described as beautiful and kind. When the panther awakens from its sleep, it utters a pleasant high-pitched song, and a delicious stream of sweet-smelling breath comes from its mouth, so that all the animals follow it (except the dragon, which is afraid of the panther and runs away).
The most common black panthers come from leopards,
but there is surprisingly little information about black panthers on the internet. That’s why I thought and decided to focus on them.
Skin black panther not perfectly black, there are always visible spots on it to a greater or lesser extent. There are even special “underpanthers” whose black spots are clearly visible on a light chocolate background. Apart from color, black and spotted leopards are no different; they interbreed freely and produce fertile offspring. The cubs from such pairs can be very different - both spotted and black. But the latter is less common because the black gene is recessive and is often suppressed by the spotted gene.
To get 100% black offspring, you need two black panthers, but “negros” can also be born to spotted parents if their ancestors included blacks. Apart from color, spotted leopards and panthers are no different from each other.
The most famous black panther is Bagheera in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. In Kipling it is a male, but in the Russian translation by N. Daruzes and in the domestic cartoon Bagheera is a female; such translation difficulties are due to the fact that in Russian “panther” is feminine.
While inferior to the lion and tiger in size, the leopard wins in agility and swiftness of movements. He climbs trees and rocks beautifully and feels no less free there than on the ground. His reaction is instant, attacks are lightning fast, he knows no fear. And it’s not for nothing that many scientists and famous hunters consider the leopard to be the most perfect of cats - a supercat.
In Sumerian mythology, the black panther was a symbol of the goddess of love and fertility. If you remember what this animal looks like, it becomes clear why the black panther is a magnificent symbol of love.
IN ancient China there was a cult of five cats, sometimes depicted as tigers or leopards. The black cat ruled the north, winter and the feminine element of water. Thus, the black panther symbolizes feminine energy in all its forms: child, virgin, seductress, mother, warrior, seer and wise old woman.
The panther was also associated with Jesus Christ. In the book "Abodazar" (an ancient Hebrew commentary on Holy Bible) “Panther” is the family name of Joseph, Mary’s husband. Mentioned here is a certain person who healed the sick after long suffering and symbolic death.
Indians of the North and South America endowed the jaguar, especially the black one, with great magical power. The jaguar can climb trees and rocks, run and swim even better than the tiger. Because of this ability to perform excellently in different environments. For Latin American Indians, it became a symbol of boundless and immeasurable power, a symbol of power over all spheres of existence. The Tucano Indians who lived in the Amazon considered the roar of a jaguar to be a clap of thunder. The Black Panther was a deity of darkness. She caused eclipses by swallowing the sun. These beliefs indicate how powerful feminine energies. If the panther has become your totem, the power of these energies in your life will increase.
Panthers are more aggressive than most leopards. Panthers can get quite close to humans because they have absolutely no fear of people. Unfortunately, true black panthers are not formidable enough to defend against hunters who are exterminating this “race” for their rare, beautiful skin, making it even rarer.
It happens that this predator lives not far from settlements, stays alone and goes out hunting at night. He climbs trees very well, often settling there for a day's rest or in ambush, and sometimes even catching monkeys in trees. However, the panther mainly hunts on the ground. Panthers sleep in trees, stretched out on branches with their paws hanging down. They can jump onto trees up to 5.5 meters high. There is one significant feature that distinguishes leopards from others big cats: This is the habit of dragging its prey into trees. Thus, their food remains safe and does not reach other predators - lions and hyenas.
Panthers, when they are well-fed, will not attack even a small kid if it walks near the nose of a wild cat. But when a panther is hungry, it will attack everything. The danger for people is that panthers can settle near human habitation. If the panther is hungry for a long time, then the cat can easily enter villages and cities. Since panthers are night hunters, they often attack sleeping people. Although panthers become cannibals much less often than, say, tigers or lions.
After a 3-3.5-month pregnancy, the female gives birth to cubs in a remote, secluded place. The lair is made in a cave, a rocky crevice, under uprooted tree roots, in the hollows of standing or fallen trees, or even in someone’s empty hole. In our country, a leopard most often has 2 kittens, occasionally 1 or 3. In warm regions there are litters of 4, very rarely of 5 newborns.
After giving birth, the new mother is so absorbed in caring for her blind, deaf, completely helpless offspring that she almost never leaves him for 8-10 days: she does not eat, does not drink, but only feeds, licks, and warms. At this time, she will not spare her life for her babies, and the fate of animals or humans carelessly approaching the lair is unenviable. He even chases his friend away until the kittens see the light. At this time, the father of the family lives nearby and occasionally brings the female food, and when she, exhausted from thirst, begins to run to the source, he vigilantly guards the den.
Black panthers look great in the circus arena, but they are extremely rare in the circus arena. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the danger of this enterprise. The fact is that the black panther is a rather difficult to predict animal... Maritsa Zapashnaya is the only woman in Europe who trains these animals. Its attraction is the only one in Europe.
The black panther is not considered a separate species. Black panthers are animals belonging to the cat family, which are united by the black color of their fur. A black panther is most often called a leopard or a jaguar, since it is among these species of animals that individuals with a black color, called melanistic animals in science, are most often found. Melanism - the word Greek origin and means "black". This phenomenon, which occurs at the level of genetic changes, causes an increase in the amount of melanin, the coloring pigment, in the outer covering of the animal.
It should be noted that melanistic animals in most cases are much larger and stronger than their ordinary counterparts. Black jaguars live in South America, mainly in the tropical forests of Brazil and Paraguay.
Some scientists consider the black jaguar to be a separate subspecies. This statement can be argued, since a pair of black jaguars does not necessarily give birth to cubs with exclusively black fur. The same pair of these huge cats can different time and black and spotted kittens will be born overnight. On the other hand, a kitten with black coat color can be born to a pair of jaguars, among which only one of the parents is melanistic. If in a pair of spotted jaguars at least one of them is a carrier of the gene that determines the black color of the coat, then this pair may have black kittens. As for the lifestyle and habits, the black jaguar from spotted jaguar is no different in this regard.
Beautiful photos - black panther:
Like all cats, the black jaguar is an agile and fearless predator. Many experienced hunters claim that all jaguars use the hypnotic properties of their gaze when pursuing prey during the hunt. Jaguars have the ability not only to attack prey whose parameters are many times greater than the jaguar, but also to deal with their prey without much effort. So, with its own weight of 120 kg, a jaguar can easily take over an animal whose weight can reach 300 kg. For all its apparent cruelty, a panther will never show aggression and attack if it is full. Otherwise, a hungry panther will not miss the chance to grab any prey. If this hungry cat at some point it ends up near a human dwelling, there is a high probability that the animal, overcome by hunger, will not stand on ceremony, but will attack a person. But such cases are quite rare. One of the reasons for this behavior of the big black cat is human intrusion into the space occupied by this animal. Naturally, the panther hunts in its lands and in this case mistakes a person for its prey.
Despite the menacing roar, hypnotic gaze and daring nature of the panther, these animals have suffered a lot from humans because of their valuable fur and hunting habits. The numbers of these proud predators are on the verge of extinction. Therefore, the panther is protected by law and is listed in the International Red Book.
Video: How to play Black Panther
Video: Jaguar escapes Anaconda then Kills and Eats it!
In fact, the word “panther” hides not a separate biological species, and a whole genus of the cat family, which includes such formidable predators like the lion, jaguar and leopard. As for the well-known black panther, it is usually a leopard or jaguar, which has a corresponding black color.
Why is the panther black?
The panther's black coloring is caused by special mutations in the animal's genes known as melanism. Such a mutation is very common among predatory felines, for example, in Malaysia, approximately half of all leopards there are black in color as a result of melanism and, in fact, are black panthers.
The black color of these animals often has practical significance(after all, nature is always wise in its actions), so many black panthers live in dense forests, where, with a lack of lighting, dark animals are less noticeable, which makes their life much easier.
Panther: description, structure, characteristics. What does a panther look like?
The calling card of any panther is its signature black color. Although if you look at the panther more closely, you will notice that its fur is covered with dark spots of different shades, all this creates the appearance of a black color.
Panthers are large predators, the weight of a panther can reach 40-50 kg. The body is oblong and reaches up to two meters in length.
The panther also has four powerful and large paws, with long and sharp claws that retract into the fingers (their structure is approximately the same as that of the kindest feline - the domestic cat).
The panther's head is very large, somewhat elongated, and there are small ears on the top of the head. The panther's eyes are medium-sized with large pupils. Panther also has in stock sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
The panther has fur all over its body, and there is also very a long tail, which can sometimes be up to half the length of the animal.
Where does the panther live?
Panthers live over a wide geographical range, many of them live on African continent, especially in the mountains of Ethiopia and Kenya. They are also found in Asia and South America, only, of course, the black panthers of South America have a significant difference from the black panthers of Asia, there they are actually black jaguars, while in Asia they are black leopards.
What does a panther eat?
All panthers are ferocious and dangerous predators, and one of the most dangerous among the cat family. If a panther is hungry, it can easily attack any nearby game, including humans. But most often the panther gets to eat various herbivores: zebras, buffalos, antelopes. Sometimes the panther is not averse to having a snack and... Domestic animals: cows, sheep, also finding themselves unattended in the jungle, have a high chance of becoming food for panthers.
Panthers always go hunting at night; in the dark, thanks to their black color, they become practically invisible, which gives them the opportunity to watch for potential prey without any problems.
Panther lifestyle
Panthers, like real representatives of the cat family, are true individualists, preferring to live alone, or in pairs of male + female. Occasionally they can gather in a pride, as lions do, creating a small family of panthers, but this does not happen often.
Panthers are territorial animals; each panther has its own specific territory, so to speak, hunting grounds, where it is not advisable for other panthers to enter.
Panthers lead night look life, which is greatly facilitated by their black color, thanks to which night hunting is much more preferable for the panther than chasing game during the day.
How long does a panther live?
The lifespan of a panther, like many other representatives of the cat family, is on average 10-12 years, but there have been cases when a panther lived up to 20 years.
Panther breeding
Panthers reach sexual maturity by 2-3 years. And since they live in a constantly warm climate, they can reproduce all year round. The male, having found a suitable female, has sexual intercourse with her. Having become pregnant, the female looks for a safe and comfortable place to give birth.
The pregnancy itself in a female panther lasts 3-3.5 months. Usually, a panther gives birth to two or three small kittens (well, not really kittens), like the babies of an ordinary cat, at first they are blind, and only then their eyes appear. At first, mother panther does not leave her babies, feeding them milk, while dad, like a real breadwinner, brings food.
In general, panthers are very caring towards their offspring, and at an older age, the mother panther teaches her cubs how to move correctly, hunt and other intricacies of their animal life. When a panther reaches a year, it already becomes a fully grown animal ready for independent life.
- Great popularity in popular culture got the panther thanks to the book English writer Kipling's "Mowgli", as we remember, a black panther named Bagheera was one of the main positive characters of this book.
- The panther also found its place in heraldry, as it was the emblem of the English kings Henry IV and Henry VI.
- As the personification of valor and courage, the panther is present on the coat of arms of the African state of Gabon.
Black Panther video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary video about a black panther/leopard.
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