The Indian ranger, Susanta Nanda, in his tweet describes this tiger, captured in a camera trap video, as melanistic. I think, in fact, that the tiger is better described as being pseudo-melanistic. This is because the stripes are still visible … continue reading…
People search for a ‘black leopard picture’. Here are some good ones. Leopards can often have the appearance of being jet black but they are not. Sometimes a black leopard is very dark with a black or dark grey pattern … continue reading…
This is a great picture from a short video made by The Big Cat Sanctuary showing Neron, a male, melanistic jaguar. The spots are called rosettes and they are nicely visible. It shows that black jaguars, a.k.a. “black panthers” are … continue reading…
The Russian breeder, Лариса Десятова, of this very interesting-looking black purebred cat describes him as a: 🧚♀️ Bengali male 🧚♀️ melanistic, born 30/11/20/. I believe that she means “Bengal male”. There is no breed called the ‘Bengali’ to the best … continue reading…
Yes, leopards and black panthers are the same but I have to add that the phrase “black panthers” refers to any melanistic (black) large wild cat. As a consequence it also applies to jaguars and pumas (there are no black … continue reading…
Artist Peter Hall was on a game drive in the central regions of Kruger National Park in South Africa, reports the EarthTouch News website. A “game drive” is one in which the participants sit in 4×4 vehicles looking out at … continue reading…
The four subspecies of Geoffroy’s cat vary considerably in colour variation and size. Unlike most other wild cat species (all other wild cat species, perhaps) black Geofroy’s cats are common. These are called melanistic Geoffroy’s cats. It is due to … continue reading…
Yes, cheetahs CAN (i.e. theoretically) be black but there aren’t any today, in my opinion. Black cheetahs have been recorded but they are extremely rare. White cheetahs have also been recorded but they are also very rare. Mel and Fiona … continue reading…
This is a really excellent photograph of a black (melanistic) serval in the wild taken by British wildlife photographer George Turner. He used a Nikon D5 camera with a 500 mm, F4 lens. The Nikon D5 is a full frame … continue reading…
The picture below is of a black serval taken by a camera trap in the Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania. It is the first picture of a black serval that I have seen in Tanzania. Black servals are relatively common in … continue reading…
Yes bobcats can be black but they are very rare. I think there have been twelve reported sightings, the majority in Florida. A better description is ‘melanistic’ which is more like dark charcoal. Bobcats can’t be a jet black. Melanistic … continue reading…
This page is about black panther pictures from any legitimate source plus information about the black panther. Over 150 years ago many eminent scientists of the day believed the panther to be a separate species of wild cat. However, today, … continue reading…
“Wild cats that are black” is a Google search term. Bar one (that I can think of) no wild cat species is black as a default or standard coat color. The jaguarundi has a gray phase that varies from ashy … continue reading…
This is a very rare photograph of a black serval. This particular cat looks young to me (subadult). When I first saw the photograph I thought, “what is that?” A strange looking cat. The serval is a bit strange anatomically; … continue reading…
Black pumas are melanistic pumas (aka: cougars, mountain lions). They are also called black panthers. Melanistic leopards and jaguars are also called black panthers. Jordan Carlton Schaul of the University of Alaska says that black jaguarundis are also referred to … continue reading…
