My husband claims that panthers have never been native to North America. The question came up because I'd been re-reading (for the first time) 2 of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books that reference panthers--I'm talking about black panthers, not pumas or the like called by that name. I know of course that panthers also live in the forests of East Asia, I'm just not sure of the exact relationship between the species, if they are different species.
Before you tell me, I know I know I know: Ingalls' works are considered historical fiction, not biography, and I completely accept that, BUT...I know I've heard the word panther applied to North American wildcats before!! And I'm pretty damn sure I've heard of black-coated large Northern American wildcats referred to as panthers in other sources besides Wilder. Are people confusing two types of cats? Or are they the same?
To cut to the chase...what is a panther?
If you can cite a source, that's especially good...thanks.
2007-02-17 15:44:57 · 5 answers · asked by Leslie D 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
A panther is a leopard. They come in two phases, yellow and black. Panthers are about ten times more likely to be yellow than black. All leopards are spotted, you don't see the spots too well in the black-phase animals.They are native to Africa and Asia.
The term "panther" has been used locally for jaguars and pumas. Both jaguars and pumas have black phases as leopards have. It could well be that the term "panther" is more often used for these black-phase cats.
2007-02-17 15:53:43 · answer #1 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first there was the sabre tooth tiger a cave lion with huge fangs(enormus)
it is the name calling that confuses you
,the puma is called a mountain lion ,but it really is a kind of panthera cougar..(big)
the black panther is a black leopard
and there are spotted leopards snow leopards etc,(medium tall)
the linx is found in many places and are called wild cats ,or red cats ,(the smallest of the big cats )
then there is a whole range of smaller preditors below that
with many versions of all ,and of the above mentioned
varying species in Borneo ,Asia ,Russia ,Africa the Americas and many more places
and there are many species of cats ,especially in the below linx size
2007-02-17 16:01:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The type of panther she discusses are also called cougars and mountain lions. They are not the panthers of the African Veldt.
http://www.mountain-lions.org/
2007-02-17 15:50:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have panthers down here in florida.=D
2007-02-17 16:03:56 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_panther
2007-02-17 15:52:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋