| Black Leopard (Panthera pardus) | ||
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You may want to call these cats black panthers, but there’s really no such animal. “Panther” is a generic work used to describe many large cats, especially black ones, but also Florida panthers which are just a subspecies of cougar. We have both black leopards and black jaguars here – they’re often born in the same litter as the normal colored cats, because the black color, called melanism, is due to a recessive gene. So, melanistic cubs can be born to two spotted parents. The cats are actually dark brown, with the same pattern of black spots as any other leopard. There are no solid black big cats. | |
| Black Leopards at EFBC/FCC |
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 Tran |
Son of Meesha and Isaac, born here on 1 October 1996. Littermate of Kota (who moved to Memphis Zoo in 2007). Mother raised, and so not friendly at all. | Photo history at Births 1996. |
