I’m a wildlife biologist (since 2003) who has been part of a world-wide camera trapping project for the past six years with a strong focus in North Carolina. One of the most common questions, or rather statements, I get is about spotting black panthers in the eastern United States. But what exactly is a black panther? Do black panthers really exist? And is it possible that they are in the United States?
There’s a lot of misinformation about these animals, so let’s clear up some misconceptions.
What Exactly is the Animal Called a “Black Panther?”
Bagheera, the black panther from the Jungle Book, is one of my favorite Disney characters, but the term black panther is not quite right. The black panther is not a separate animal species. Rather, “black panther” is a blanket term for any member of the big cats with a black coat.
The black coat is caused by a gene that produces a dark pigment. Mammals with this mutation are known as melanistic and this can occur amongst many different species outside of the big cats.
Black panthers technically could refer to any species of big cat that is black, but by and large, almost exclusively (if not completely), black jaguars (Panthera onca) or leopards (Panther pardus). When you look at these black big cats up close and with enough bright light, you’ll see spots within the dark fur.
Black leopards seem to be more common than black jaguars, at least in the regions that we have camera traps. In our eMammal camera trap database, we have yet to have a photo of black jaguars, but have captured quite a few of black leopards in Thailand. This is especially interesting considering that melanism is recessive in leopards, but dominant in jaguars.
Where Do Black Panthers Live?
As black panthers are really melanistic leopards or jaguars, they live where these two different species live. Jaguars are found in South and central America, whereas leopards are found throughout Africa and Asia.
What is a Panther?
The panther is a real species and it is used to describe mountain lions, which live in North America (although I rarely hear people refer to them as panthers). The most common words used for this species (Puma concolor) are puma, cougar, or mountain lion, and there are many others that might be locally common.
Where Do Panthers Live?
As mentioned above, panthers (AKA mountain lions AKA pumas AKA cougars) live in North America, but only in the west. When I was doing my Ph.D. in Missouri up until 2012, they started moving into Missouri, but there was still not a confirmed breeding population at the time.
Contrary to what many people think, there are not eastern panthers. You frequently hear people talk about seeing an eastern cougar, but there is no scientific evidence of a breeding population. Listen to this podcast episode where I explain the details from different camera trap studies across the eastern US:
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However, you do hear people use the word panther when referring to the Florida panther. The Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) is always called a panther, but in actuality, it is a subspecies of mountain lion. In fact, when Florida panthers were suffering from inbreeding due to few individuals, the government brought in mountain lions from Texas to help restore their genetic diversity.
Are There Black Panthers in the United States?
To my knowledge, all black panthers are black leopards or black jaguars. There are pseudo-melanistic tigers, but they still have stripes and you can see white in between the stripes, so they don’t look solid black like melanistic jaguars or leopards.
Given that jaguars, leopards, and tigers do not live in the United States (at least in the wild, they are privately owned in zoos), there are not black panthers of theses species in the US.
That leaves cougars and snow leopards. I could not find any evidence of melanistic snow leopards.
Black Cougars?
However, are there black cougars? As mentioned above, cougars live in the United States and it makes sense that there could be a melanistic cougar.
Over the course of history though, there has never been a confirmed or documented case of a black mountain lion in the United States. This includes Florida panthers, meaning there are no Florida black panthers either. Mountain lions have been hunted (and still are) for a very long time, so if there was one, there would likely be at least one specimen in museums. Over the course of history, since Europeans arrived, there has never been a confirmed or documented case.
Black Bobcats?
Bobcats, a much smaller species of wild cat in the United States can be melanistic too, but this is extremely rare. There have only 12 reported sightings across all of North America and because these cats are so much smaller, they would look more like a house cat than a black panther.
But My Friend Swears They Saw a Black Panther…
Without any documented evidence (e.g. photos, kills from hunts), it makes it extremely unlikely that your friend saw a melanistic mountain lion. Mountain lions are reported all of the time to state game agencies and to the Cougar Network, the most exhaustive database of confirmed cougar sightings. Many of these photos of reported mountain lions (not melanistic ones), when reviewed by experts, turn out to be bobcats, deer, and dogs. Dr. Michelle LaRue even does a fun game on Twitter called #cougarornot where she posts a photo and has Twitter guess if it is a cougar (or not).
In fact, there are not even mountain lions in the eastern United States (outside of Florida panthers). There was a male that dispersed from the west to Connecticut, but this was not a mountain lion living in the east. In other words, there are no populations with breeding females. We’ve run thousands of camera traps from Florida to New York with no photographic evidence.
If you truly believe you saw something that resembles a black panther or even a mountain lion in the eastern US, the best way to document it is through the use of camera traps. Because we cannot trust people’s species identifications on sight alone, a photo is the only way to confirm presence. Camera traps are also a fantastic way to connect to nature, so even if you are not trying to photograph a black panther or mountain lion, you will capture many other amazing animals
All camera trap photos were taken by the eMammal project.
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Stephanie Schuttler is a wildlife biologist with 17 years of experience in mammal ecology and conservation, education, and outreach. Read her inspirational story, “My Unexpected Journey Into Science” to find out how she went from the daughter of a jeweler to a Ph.D. in wildlife biology. Feel free to contact Stephanie here.
My wife and I were returning to our cabin earlier today and a Black, Large cat jumped across the road not 30’ in front of us. We were stunned to say the least. I had never heard of Black Panthers or whatever this was in North America which is why I began Googling it and what ultimately led me to your sight. We live in North Eastern Washington State along the Eastern slopes of the Cascades. We have Bear, Cougar, Wolves & Bobcats routinely but I have never before today seen an all black large cat. This cat was the size of a Cougar and approx 225 to 250 pounds. It was gone so fast we had no chance for a picture. Any thoughts on what it was ? Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Super cool! It was probably a black bear. If it went by fast, it could have been mistaken for a large cat.
Me and my father was wade fishing near the Walls of Jericho in North East Alabama in the head of Paint Rock Valley just north of Estillfork, AL and I definitely saw a cougar (mountain lion) sneaking down the side of the mountain toward us. The Hurricane Creek butts up to the mountain edge where we were fishing and he was crawling about 50 yards from us. Considering the steepness of the mountain, it looked as if it was only 50 feet away. I grew up in Hollytree, Al and have seen plenty of bobcats but this was no bobcat, deer, dog, etc. It looked just like the cougar on the old Mercury commercials. We froze in the water trying to figure out what we were going to do and decided that if it came closer, we were going to throw our catches (fish) that we had on our stringers tied to our sides at it. After about 5 minutes of creeping, stopping, creeping, stopping, it turned and ran up the mountain. This is a highly remote area and bear sightings have also been seen there.
Sounds like a good place for a camera trap! The eMammal team is actually camera trapping in Alabama this spring. This fall we did a nation-wide camera trapping project with universities too. Every state was covered. You can check out the favorite photos here: https://emammal.si.edu/favorite-photos.
ma’am I had a huge black cat live in the woods where I lived when I was 13 years old I saw it more than once. it was seen by several people throughout the small backwoods town in TN. first time I saw it was when I pulled back my bedroom blinds to checkout what the morning looked like before I went outside to shoot my new gun and THERE IT WAS NOT 10 FT FROM MY WINDOW. IT WASNT A BEAR it wasn’t this or that I was simply a big ass wild apex predator type cat. could’ve been a mountain lion cause it wasn’t a Jaguar but it for sure was one of the big cat species it was so big I couldn’t sleep at night sometimes because not only did I see it outside my window but after that we saw it come from underneath our house. I’m not claiming I saw bigfoot or a fleet of annunaki pyramid spaceships so it shouldn’t be hard to believe any one claiming they saw a real black panther
This photo was taken at Lake Royale, North Carolina, north east of Raleigh NC around Nov 10th, 2020.
The admin of the Lake Royale facebook group posted the sighting.
https://imgur.com/bO6eHgJ
Thats not a bear. That looks like a black cougar to me.
What else could this be? Look at that tail. Not a black cougar???
I think you may have your evidence right here.
It’s a fake photo. 1 – Unnecessarily blurry/pixelated. 2 – Lacking left foot? 3 – Really stocky in the front. 4 – Perfectly posed.
It would have been more believable if you just told him it was a large house cat. Now you area photo expert?
If you look close it is blurry because it was taken trough a dirty window. I have taken enough to recognize it.
I have no idea where and when the picture was taken but it is definitely a Melanistic Jaguar and a good size one at that. It is unbelievable that so called professionals would mistake this for a house cat. The Govt leads this coverup. Why shouldn’t you believe the people that told you “If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan” or “if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor, They don’t even want the masses to know that the Jaguar entered North America in the NW corridor and migrated throughout the country with some going south and becoming large numbers in Central and South America. There are thousands of Americans that have seen these cats and laughs at the Govts position. We are not debating the existence of a Bigfoot but the geographical range to a VERY REAL animal. Yes I am one of those with the close up sighting!
That is not a black cougar, that is a jaguar
This from a Professional. It was a really FAST Bear or a large cat . Maybe it was a cardboard cutout! Sad.
No. That is a large black feline. Not a bear.
I have no idea how she can pass herself off as a professional with statements like “There are pseudo-melanistic tigers”, there are no Mo0untain Lions in the east, and my favorite, there are no Jaguars in the east when they are found in 15 or so states, even though The Govt is covering up both Jags in the East and Mountain Iions in the east. She didn’t have to do a lick of work to come to that , only read the Govt position with Fish & Game. I even wonder what reward these writers get from the Govt for speaking their language.
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If what you saw was a glossy black all over (stomach, legs, sides) and larger than a house cat it was a Melanistic phase Jaguar, They are in the west but more are found in the east.
They are black jaguars. They live as far north as North America. We had multiple spotting’s of a large black cougar here at Great Falls, Montana a few years ago. It was seen on at least two occasions on the cities south which is just north of mountains. They are very elusive. Reading news from Chippewas of the Thames Reserve in Ontario, Canada today (9/10/2021), there’s a large black cougar living there. It has been seen on multiple occasions. Citizens of Chippewas of the Thames Reserve, have been told to be cautious when outside. The Reserve has forested land. It’s one of only a few locations in south Ontario, that retains it’s original forest. Black jaguars are surprisingly yet living in the eastern part of North America. Black cougars have been seen in New York within the past 20 years. The term “black panther” obviously refers to black jaguars. They are members of the large cat family. Mountain lions are not members of the large cat family. Jaguars are far more dangerous and stronger. They are also more intelligent. They are nocturnal critters that favor forested land. So Washington, Montana, New York, Ontario and Florida have populations of black jaguars. Leaders, unfortunately, do not like jaguars. They also don’t like bears. However, bears are up at all times. Jaguars are nocturnal. Thus, it is far more difficult to see them. Everyone thought black panthers died out long ago. That is not true. They are living throughout Canada and the United States. Their population must be low. Possibly a few thousand. You were fortunate to see a jaguar in daylight! Black jaguars are obviously the fabled black panthers of the eastern part of North America. We are so fortunate they are yet around. Reason for their black hair, is cold. It helps keep them warm during winter months.
I am a firm believer that Melanistic Jaguars live throughout North America. It has been proven.
I have a hard time believing in the Black Mountain Lion or Cougar and honestly think the only explanation would be of Hybridization.
Please educate me.
ma’am I had a huge black cat live in the woods where I lived when I was 13 years old I saw it more than once. it was seen by several people throughout the small backwoods town in TN. first time I saw it was when I pulled back my bedroom blinds to checkout what the morning looked like before I went outside to shoot my new gun and THERE IT WAS NOT 10 FT FROM MY WINDOW. IT WASNT A BEAR it wasn’t this or that I was simply a big ass wild apex predator type cat. could’ve been a mountain lion cause it wasn’t a Jaguar but it for sure was one of the big cat species it was so big I couldn’t sleep at night sometimes because not only did I see it outside my window but after that we saw it come from underneath our house. I’m not claiming I saw bigfoot or a fleet of annunaki pyramid spaceships so it shouldn’t be hard to believe any one claiming they saw a real black panther
you can believe me or not that’s your choice but I saw a black mountain lion I say that because there were no spots andi was no more than 10 ft from it. I pull back my blinds and it was outsde my bedroom window. scared me to death to the point where I was scared to sleep sometimes. not only. that but later on I would see it a couple more times and find out that it was a normal thing around there in that area to the poeple..
Your article about Panthers in the U.S. is seriously flawed, including academically. The Florida Panther is NOT a subspecies of the Mountain Lion. Worse than that is the LIE that Jaguars which are seen regularly in about 15 US states are not documented. I have my own sighting and have spoken with about 100 others that have as well. Something for you to chew on, they are ALL Melanistic phase Jags. Call me if you are prepared to discuss it. Randy Cullinan 804 690 6868.
Wow dude. Pretty antagonistic. I wouldn’t respond to you if I was the author.
I corresponded with Randy directly – he sent me an email and I didn’t see this. I’ll post key points here from my email here: Florida panthers are definitely subspecies of mountain lions/cougars (Puma concolor). I attached a photo of the Mammals of North America field guide authored by my former boss Dr. Roland Kays. Roland was the curator of mammals for the State of NY and has dozens of scientific publications. In fact, Florida panthers are not even pure as a subspecies. To rescue them from genetic inbreeding, cougars from Texas were brought in to breed with them. Check out this peer-reviewed scientific publication from top scientists in our field that are not associated with the government: https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2005.00010.x. We had camera traps run across 33 protected areas in the eastern us and found no mountain lions. https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.12700 We had camera traps running across all 100 counties in NC for 3 years and never saw a mountain lion: https://www.nccandidcritters.org/about-the-project/. We do not rely on sources. This is from our own study. Using thousands of camera trap locations.
By comparison, there are about 40 red wolves in one county in NC and we have documented them on the camera traps. We are able to document animals with low numbers. We have never captured anything that has looked like a mountain lion.
These cameras were not set by the government. They were set by members of the public, they collected the photos and uploaded them to us.
There is a project with camera traps across all 50 states in the US run by scientists. Here are the results for mountain lion (puma) for the first year.
https://public.tableau.com/profile/michael.cove#!/vizhome/SnapshotUSASpeciesMapper/Dashboard1 You will see with cameras running everywhere in the eastern US there are no sightings. All of these data are collected by cameras that regular people set up. So we are not trying to keep any secret or anything hidden. We review all of the photos coming in.
In conjunction with other scientists, we have camera trap projects set up all over the US and the world. You can view the photos here: https://emammal.si.edu/favorite-photos
We never get mountain lions in the east. However, we do get them in the west and in the cameras I run in Suriname and Mexico. If they were here, we would capture them on camera trap.
You are correct! The Jaguar has never left North America.
Excuse me, but not all North American panthers re “melanistic jags”. The one I saw was standing in the middle of a gravel road less than 15 feet from where I stood, on a cloudless day, with the westering sun shining full on its coat. It was facing the southwest and I was facing due east so the cat was in long view, tail to muzzle and it did not have spots. It’s coat was solid black with no markings whatsoever.
Randy, I had the same experience with the Missouri department of conservation when I reported a large area of black hairballs – you could tell that’s what they were – coughed up at the New Canaan conservation area near Bland Missouri. There were reports years ago near the river just a few miles north of there… the Gasconade I think, I’m not sure….of screams like a woman at night in the woods. And they have been spotted in southern Illinois as well.
So when I was a boy in the 80’s in Price County Wisconsin I saw a Large Black Cougar, as there is no way It could have been a jaguar. I was like 7 at the time and it was walking proud as day skirting along the edge of our field… I quick got my dad told him I saw a cougar…. He didn’t believe me, I told him to follow me! It wasn’t their anymore, I then explained this big black cat the size of a small dear walked along the edge of the field right their! I pointed and emphasized, he looked at me and said what color did you say? I affirmed it was black, he looked at me and mumbled their is no way. Come to find out 2 of my aunts claimed to have seen a Black Panther on the edge of the same field 10 years earlier but no one believed them. As far as the DNR was concerned Cougar’s did not exist in Wisconsin and a black one! no way! About 10 years latter I am outside looking thru my telescope at the star its 11 PM or so and I got the strange feeling I was being watched. I could here my dad on the phone inside I turned to look and saw I big cat sitting in the Sandy spot we had just hauled gravel into to build a garage (Thank God) I got up slowly walked the 5 feet to the deck went inside and said dad you need to see this come quick, he was on the phone and a bit annoyed but I insisted NOW. Took him out to the deck and of course it was gone. He said what I said their was a cougar right their it was watching me, he was like yeah sure! I insisted it was their and there had to be tracks it was sitting in the middle of the sandy area where the garage would go… I also went to the Gun Cabinet and grabbed my 30.30 at that point It sunk into my dads head I was serious. So he grabbed the flash light and we walked out to the spot and CLEAR as day the Tracks were their and they were bigger than my teenage hand…. He couldn’t deny it this time I saw a Cougar!!! However this one was not black it was a normal cougar…. But the DNR didn’t believe me nor my father this was 1992. Since that time my father’s trail cams have caught several big cats on camera (And the DNR has stopped denying) but sadly none of them black… And sadly we didn’t have trail cameras in the late 70’s and 80’s to have caught that big black cat on camera!
Once more your are being told you did not see what you know you saw. Use my email address above to learn the truth about Jaguars in America.
Yes that look like brinnal coler with strips on long tail I live on lake erling in southern Arkansas my friend sees it often by his home for me I saw it with my wife at 3am.it looked at us twice for 5sec.most amazing eyes my friend says its Spotted I could just see a brinal like color with rings on its tail still around hear far as I no.think it is a Florida panther??.
Florida panthers are only restricted to a small area in Florida. There are not many of them, so it is extremely unlike that one went from FL all the way to Arkansas. They get hit by cars even in FL, so again, they would have to overcome a lot of barriers. But you absolutely could have seen a cougar (mountain lion) in Arkansas. There have been many sightings of them there: https://www.cougarnet.org/. When I was in Missouri, they started establishing a population in Southern MO.
It’s spelled Brindle Brains
I am 100 percent positive I saw a black Florida panther on a vacant piece of land in minneola florida a few days ago and heard at least one kitten.
Jeffrey I believe you. I know no one is going to believe me, I recently saw a completely black Florida panther in minneola florida in a vacant piece of land that I own. And it has at least one kitten that I heard after the mom left the area. I Know big cats and animals. I am not trying to get anyone to beieve me, but it was one of the most amazing sight I have ever seen, even though it was just for a second.
Cougars are here in Michigan. And I saw a huge black cat with my own eyes in 1996.
Now a spotting of a black jaguar in Michigan! That’s good! They have had spotting’s of a black cougar are Chippewas of the Thames Reserve in south Ontario. They reported it today (9/10/21). Michigan must have a larger population of black jaguars. Most of Michigan is forested land.
What about in Kentucky
Nope. Unless it escaped from someone’s private zoo.
Kentucky and Arkansas have the most reports of melanistic cats (Jaguars). Don’t fall for the big lie.
Once more I will note that your experience is limited. The fact that you. say no Mountain Lions in the East is preposterous. There are so many false statements, you should have been blocked by big media.
A group of guys were riding horses close by my house in Southern Arkansas. They stopped at a church and tied their horses to trees to trees, to have a meal inside. One of the horse owners walked outside to see his horse bucking and kicking, then broke loose and ran away at full speed. While running he noticed a big black Cougar, or panther spread out on the horses back. A few minutes latter I saw this horse running up the road at my house, he turned into my yard, then ran into the low limbs of a bushy oak tree in my yard. I could see
the horse trying to scrape something from it’s back, it was a big black panther which looked to be about 150 pounds. The horse finally did a front flip in my driveway which dislodged the big cat. I saw it all very clear, my Cane Corso took off after the feline, my male dog at the time was 125 pounds this cat was larger, and stone cold black.
I live south of Orlando. In 2013 I was walking my dog near a drainage pond (lots of trees), when I spotted a large black cat-like animal lying on a sandy bank. It was approx. 100′ away. I stopped a man on a bike to ask him what he thought it was. He was amazed. He said it’s a big cat, but too big to be a house cat. It was staring back at us, flicking its long tail. I watched it for several minutes. It finally got up and slowly walked away through a large culvert. It was about the size of a large German Shepard, but definitely not a dog.
My daughter lives in east Orlando in remote area (approx 25 miles from me). Two weeks after my sighting, she saw the same type of cat in her driveway. She was approx. 30′ from it. She said it was the size of a Florida Panther (she has also seen Florida Panthers in daytime, crossing through her yard).
Thanks for your comment Elizabeth. Do you have photos you could share?
How far south of Orlando? Florida seems to be one of their more favorite hunting grounds. Much of Florida remains pristine. I’m not surprised Florida has many sightings of black jaguars. Unfortunately, leaders are hiring hunters to clear south Florida of Anacondas and Pythons. That’s a bad indicator! Anacondas and Pythons are native to Florida. They are not evasive! They have to stop it! They may be sending cougars to Florida, to cover-up the fact Florida yet has many black jaguars. We have to let Florida’s crocodiles increase in numbers yet they won’t allow it. They can reach 18 feet long and weight up to 2,000 pounds.
not true
My wife and I both saw a huge all black cat as we were driving through a wooded area near Quincy Florida (near Tallahassee). It was about to cross the road in front of us. We both saw it clear as can be in the headlights. It was one step from stepping into the road when we came upon it, and it froze looking at my truck’s headlights. My wife said, “OMG do you see that thing, it’s a black panther! It’s huge!” I can still see its whiskers and its intense eyes starring at my vehicle. As we got about 15 ft from it, it suddenly spun 180 degrees and bounded twice into the woods. It had a long black tail that was kinda stiff as it bounded away. We turned the truck around and tried looking for it. As we were shinning our headlights around, we kept seeing lots of deer all in the field that was directly across from where the cat was about to cross the road. It seemed clear to us that he was headed over there to eat one of them.
Other people that I know that live outside of Tallahassee have told me that they have seen huge black cats from time to time. My dad grew up in the mountains of Virginia, and he said that it was common for them to see big black cats in the woods there. I don’t know what to make of it. I know it is odd that no one has gotten one on a trail cam and no one has shot one, but I also know what I saw, and it was NO DOUBT a huge black cat. I am a hunter and I can size up an animal, and this huge cat had to be pushing 200 lbs. He was very lean but very muscular, shinny coat, huge think long tail, and huge paws, huge head, and very long white whiskers. I won’t ever forget his face starring into our headlights. This was around 2009.
Yes there are black panthers in Florida my family has been seeing the black panthers for Generations
Please send me photos to [email protected].
My mother grew up in WVa 1940s and 50s. In her early life they traveled by horse-drawn carriage, but never at night because of these big black felines on the prowl.
Also, in the 70s, my uncle would sit in trees in the forest to observe cougars below, also in WVa. He was an artist and painted one on their cabin wall.
In Arizona, we have cougars and the occasional wandering Jaguar. The jags are so few and rare, that they have names. I think there are only 2 males. Every few years, they are captured on trail cams and identified. There are so many outdoorsmen in the east, that there would have to be trail cam pics, but are there?
In the west, the hunt mountain lions with dogs. If a black one was ever treed by dogs, I guarantee there would be pictures and stories about it.
Exactly – with so many trail cameras outside set up by scientists and hunters, there would definitely be pics. Also roadkill. There are few Florida panthers, yet they still get hit by cars. Cougars are declared extinct in the Eastern US.
Our trail cams in Southern Indiana show plenty of Bobcats, and the occasional Cougar every year.
We even have a woman from Clark county with a picture of a black jaguar.
the old time coon and fox hunters claim that the Black Panther (jaguar) has been around forever and is much tougher on dogs than Cougars and bobcats.
My grandfather who was a minister and one of the most kind and honest people ever always claimed that he and his brother had plenty of run ins with Black panther and there were more than just one in the Patoka River Bottoms.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
I was about 12 years old when I saw a black panther in the swamps of South Alabama. I ran home and told my mother who promptly said I was imagining things. Two nights later, on her way to work the graveyard shift at the hospital, a black panther crossed the road in front of her car. We were no longer allowed to play in the swamp.
30 years later, I had just finished building my house in Sevier county TN. I was driving my side by side along the dirt road leading to my house. My passenger was a young local man I had hired to help with my landscape and cleanup chores. A mountain lion jumped off the side of the mountain, landed on the road only a few yards ahead of us. He turned and looked at us before jumping off the road and disappearing into a ravine.
So you expect me to believe what? My lying eyes or your truth telling mouth?
Thanks for the comment! Set up a camera trap and see if you can get it in photos and send them to me 🙂
Reading comments, Florida has most sightings of black jaguars. Most are from the east of North America. They have to stop doing what their doing in Florida. The Anacondas and Pythons are native to Florida. They are not evasive! Hiring hunters or trappers, to capture Anacondas and Pythons in Florida, has to stop. We know what happens afterwards. Development of land. Leave the Everglades alone! And bringing cougars to Florida, is obviously intended to wipe out Florida’s black jaguars. Leave them alone! What are your opinions about Lake Okeechobee being a fountain or spring? If it’s a fountain or spring, nothing like it exists on earth. And they have violated it. Instead of preserving one of earths greatest natural wonders, they are ruining it. The river that flowed from Lake Okeechobee’s south and north, is the overflow seen in fountains and springs. They no longer flow. Canals are sending it’s water to the ocean.
You had better look a little hard on the cougars in southeast Missouri. We have had them for several years that I know of and the old timers have noted that they have seen them as well.
Hi Jeff, thank you for your comment. I mention in the blog post that cougars have been documented in southeast Missouri. My lab ran DNA analysis from hair captured on snares to test for mountain lion.
Rock pythons and anacondas are not native to Florida.
I am also one of the few very fortunate people that have seen a black panther; and this one was in broad daylight.
The year was 1968 and I was in the Ocala national forest in the State of Florida. We were hunting for deer or hogs that morning and I watched this cat cross through a clearing that was surrounded by large pines with scattered palmettos. This panther was about 65 yards away from my stand.
Someone was running hunting dogs about a half a mile away and the cat was clearly focused on those dogs and moving away from them.
The cat stopped two times when it was crossing through this particular clearing and would turn completely around in the direction of the dogs to listen to them. I watched this event for about 45 seconds before it disappeared in the woods.
I am very familiar with the size and shape cougars, mountain lions, jags , leopards (and of course bobcats and bears). With the exception of the cougar – vs – a mountain lion, there is no mistaking these individual species and I have seen several of them up very close in controlled enviroments.
This cat appeared to weigh around 70 lbs and had the facial features of a female panther.
It WAS NOT a bear, bobcat, jag or leopard.
I feel very honored to have seen such a magnificent animal in the wild !!!
You seem to not realize that cougars and mountain lions are the exact same species. Also called pumas and panthers.
In 1964 or 65 living in on a rural road in Sardinia ny, I was going to mow hay early about 0730 when I turned off the road into the hay field driveway when a large black cat jumped out of an apple tree approximately 50 feet from the driveway and made one jump towards the tractor and me when my brother turned the same corner with another tractor and crusher and saw what was happening and turned his tractor towards the cat . At that time the cat turned and ran up the roadway in front of me. It was so fast that it covered the length of a 100 acre field in about 10 seconds into the woods behind the field.
A big black cat with a tail approx 3 feet long. Abear has a longer nose and wider head. This was definitely a big black cat with a long tail.
You should come to Otway, NC. Go down Firetower Rd til you go over a tiny bridge. Past the bridge the paved Rd turns to dirt and that is where you need to start your camera traps. I highly recommend asking permission from the the families because they will come out aiming a shotgun in your face. Seriously! For years we’ve had black Jaguars here. YEARS! If they can walk they can live in NC!