Rare panther photographed for the first time in 100 years

[Psk]

This is the first time anyone has captured a melanistic leopard on camera in Africa in 100 years.

Very few images of these iconic, secretive African panthers exist.

A black panther is a loose term for a black leopard or black jaguar, depending where in the world it's from.

The black leopard photographed is a male and based on its size, thought to be around two years old.

"We had always heard about black leopards living in this region, but the stories were absent of high quality footage that could confirm their existence," said Nicholas Pilfold PhD, lead researcher for a leopard conservation program in Laikipia County.

"Collectively these are the first confirmed images in nearly 100 years of a black leopard in Africa, and this region is the only known spot in all of Africa to have a black leopard."

It's easy to think of black panthers as animals in their own right, but that's not the case.

"The term that makes them black is called melanism and it's the same thing that makes a house cat black, or any other cat species.

It's kind of like albino but the other way.

A black panther is basically a melanistic big cat. Typically in Africa and Asia that would mean a melanistic leopard - a black leopard.

In South America it would be a melanistic jaguar - a black jaguar."

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