Panther

[Denim Deb]

I was talking to someone I know. And, he ran into a guy from another state that had just released a bunch of coyotes the state had bought! We're already having problems w/the ones we have here w/out importing more.

 

[DianeS]

I used to live in Colorado Springs, and one night I let my dogs outside to relieve themselves before bed. They charged out of the house like usual, but stopped dead in their tracks only a couple feet from the house. They whined, they paced, and in the end they wouldn't pee. I figured there was something bothering them, so let them back in. But the same thing happened the next day. By halfway through the day they would go outside, but cautiously, and all three of them wouldn't go further than the porch - which all of them started peeing on! They NEVER did that, their potty spot was along the back fence. One actually peed on my shoe she was so concerned about getting too far away from me.

Three days after the that behavior started, a teacher at an elementary school 1/2 mile from me reported seeing a mountain lion in the trees that ringed the playground. She was ignored. The next day a parent saw the same thing, and got a fuzzy cellphone pic of it. When that went public all nearby elementary schools started multi-parent patrols on the outsides of playground areas to protect the small children. The mountain lion was never seen again.

About a week later my dogs - all on the same day - stopped peeing on the porch and resumed normal activity in the backyard.

During this whole thing wildlife officials would swear up and down that mountain lions *never* went east of the interstate. (this school was a good 10 miles east of the interstate) Never. Therefore it could not have been a mountain lion that was seen. I'm glad the parents refused to listen, and took matters into their own hands to protect the children. Personally, I 100% believe it was a mountain lion. My dogs included a Samoyed and a German Shep mix - nothing smaller than a bear or mountain lion would have concerned them. Wildlife guys just don't admit that anything changes, despite all of these large animals being known for roaming miles away insearch of food and mates.

 

[the funny farm6]

the funny thing is, they say they are releasing them to bring down the high deer population. but why dont they open another huntiing season or make the ones we have longer? then they dont have to buy preditors to relese! and if they open another season then they would make a little money.

so lucky, we didnt think about that.someone is just crazy! hope the ones that got hit were the only ones. they werent very big though . little bigger that cocker spainel size. dont know about the sex of them.

 

[gourdhead]

once while taking a walk early in the morning i saw a rather LARGE black catlike critter crossing the road about 30-40 yards ahead of me. i knew it was not a domestic cat but was not sure that it was a panther. i mentioned this to a neighbor in the area and she had seen it as well as here sister in law whose property is adjacent to hers. then it was reported that two women reported seeing one in the general area. this area has two small lakes and deer are plentiful. i have no reason to doubt these reports after my own sighting. my cats at times did not want to go outside at all. that was about three years ago. the wildlife officials will believe if they see them. this took place in southwest tennessee just 10 miles north of the mississippi border. jon

 

[Joel_BC]

Jon, my understanding is that the black-colored mountain lions (called "black panthers") don't live anywhere in North America (and I'm guessing that means north of Mexico - but it could be that their natural habitat is further south than Mexico). My understnding could be wrong, but I have no idea what you saw... maybe an exotic pet that escaped or was dumped? The mountain lions (cougars) that I've seen have been tan to tannish-grey in color, but I'm up in Canada. If the cat was as large or larger than a German Shepherd, I'd think it would have to have been some sort of mountain lion.

once while taking a walk early in the morning i saw a rather LARGE black catlike critter crossing the road about 30-40 yards ahead of me. i knew it was not a domestic cat but was not sure that it was a panther. i mentioned this to a neighbor in the area and she had seen it as well as here sister in law whose property is adjacent to hers. then it was reported that two women reported seeing one in the general area. this area has two small lakes and deer are plentiful. i have no reason to doubt these reports after my own sighting. my cats at times did not want to go outside at all. that was about three years ago. the wildlife officials will believe if they see them. this took place in southwest tennessee just 10 miles north of the mississippi border. jon

 

[CheerioLounge]

If I am not mistaken a "Black Panther" is technically a jaguar or leopard. The jaguar's present range extends from Southwest United States and Mexico across much of Central America and south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. The black color melanism occurs in only about 6% of the population, although their spots are visible upon close examination. Leopards are not found in the western hemisphere.

The ocelot, a smaller, leopard like cat has been seen in the United States and it has also been known to have a black melanism.

 

[Joel_BC]

CheerioLounge, I found this in the Wikipedia article on cougars: "The word panther (while technically referring to all members of the genus Panthera), is commonly used to specifically designate the black panther, a melanistic jaguar or leopard, and the Florida panther, a subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor coryi)."
So the Florida panther (which is black) is a subspecies of the cougar, or mountain lion. But it's not the only animal termed "a black panther". So, as I suspected, my knowledge of the cougar species was incomplete. The black colored ones can be found in the very southeast of the US.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Joel, I am afraid I must humbly disagree... The Florida Panther is a tawny brown on it's back and pale gray underneath.

http://www.defenders.org/florida-panther/basic-facts


There has never been a documented case of a black melanism in a Cougar, mountain lion, puma. (Also taken from wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

 

[Joel_BC]

Joel, I am afraid I must humbly disagree... The Florida Panther is a tawny brown on it's back and pale gray underneath.

http://www.defenders.org/florida-panther/basic-facts


There has never been a documented case of a black melanism in a Cougar, mountain lion, puma. (Also taken from wikipedia)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther

Thanks for looking into it further, CL. Well, I think one of us should get involved with the Wikipedia discussion & editing process, 'cause they have an inconsistency there between the two articles.

By the way, are you by any chance a wildlife biologist? (I ain't.)

 

[CheerioLounge]

On this I must agree... Wikipedia is anything but reliable or consistent. And no, I am not a wildlife biologist. Just an avid seeker of knowledge. I have been searching for more trustworthy information on the subject. I hate to use Wikipedia as a reference, but these days the "real" encyclopedia sites charge you to access their info.