Panthers

1.   The black panther is the common name for a black specimen (a melanistic variant) of any of several species of cats.

2.   Zoologically speaking, the term panther is synonymous with leopard.

3.   In North America, the term panther
is commonly used for the puma; in Latin America it is most often used
to mean a jaguar. Elsewhere in the world it refers to the leopard.

4.   Melanism is most common in jaguars - where it is due to a dominant gene mutation - and leopards - where it is due to a recessive gene mutation.

5.   Close examination of one of these black cats will show that the typical markings are still there, and are simply hidden by the surplus of the black pigment melanin.

6.   White panthers also exist, these being albino individuals of the
same three species.

7.   A melanistic black leopard, or
"black panther" are the most common form of black panther in captivity and have been selectively bred for decades as exhibits or exotic pets.

8.   Adult black panthers (leopards) are more temperamental (nervous or vicious) than their spotted counterparts.

9.   The North American Black Panther have ever been photographed or shot in the wild, and none have been bred.

10.  In jaguars, the mutation is dominant hence black jaguars can produce both black and spotted cubs, but spotted jaguars only produce spotted cubs when bred together.