Black panthers are not a species as such. At least 11 of the world’s 40 or so species of cat have black forms – individuals whose fur contains high levels of the pigment melanin - melanin determines how dark they are, as the more pigment an animal has the darker it is.
Black panthers are therefore not a distinct species, but ‘melanistic’ members of the genus Panthera (lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and snow leopards).
In practice, the term black panther only really applies to leopards and jaguars, as fully black individuals don’t occur in the other species. Melanistic leopards and jaguars are rare, perhaps because melanism offers better camouflage only in the densest, darkest forests.
In many African countries black panthers are revered and considered symbols of power, darkness, death and rebirth.
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