Black panthers do not exist as a species.
If you open any field guide to wild cats of the world, there will be no species as a “black panther”.
All of the large black cats you see on television and in zoos are black (melanistic) jaguars and leopards. They are not a separate species but a variant of those cats that show an overload of black pigment in sort of reverse fashion of albinism.
Update Feb. 2026: My Mysterious Cat Encounter
With that said, there are thousands of reports of “black panthers” in the United States
Having investigated this phenomenon since the beginning of my career most who share a report assume what they saw was a black cougar (mountain lion). Check out our new video on this updated Feb. 2026.
UPDATE: WHITE cougars proven to exist! Follow this link to our blog.
The problem is there has never been a black cougar born in a zoo or captive setting (and there are thousands there), killed and brought in by a hunter or observed by a biologist.
There are some fake black cougar mounts out there including this one sent to us by researcher Todd Jurasek who saw it in Oklahoma. There are even taxidermists advertising dying cougars black but there are none in the wild to kill and mount.
As noted on my “Moore Outdoors’ program on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI most of the photographs sent to me that were allegedly “black panthers” were feral house cats. Check out our video on topic here.
One of these cats was a jaguarundi and the other was a black bobcat.
Some of the photos were indeed big but they were of some domestic lineage.
I did an article for Texas Fish & Game in 2019 entitled Mystery Of The Black Longtail. In it I explained the name for these cats I gave them in my Field Guide To Texas Wild Cats book.
And I believe they are the source of the vast majority of “black panther” sightings.
I believe this for three key reasons.
- People Cannot Judge Size: I have received hundreds of photos of bobcats people sent to me thinking they were cougars. I have now come to the conclusion many cougar sightings in nontraditional habitat are bobcats. I have personally identified dozens of “black panther” sightings as domestic cats.
- Distribution: Feral house cats are distributed throughout North America, have large populations in many forested areas and are the only known black cat to dwell continent-wide. I have received multiple photos of readers wondering what kind of wild cat they captured on their game camera. It turned out they were white, tabby and other colored feral house cats. People are not prepared to see a feral cat in the woods but they are abundant. When they see a black one they often label it “panther”.
- New research in Australia, which has a massive feral cat problem suggests these cats are growing to much bigger sizes than anyone would expect. Recent stats attributed to Oklahoma wildlife officials state sizes of up to 35 pounds for feral cats.
The long tail on these cats intrigues me.
Many of these cat photos that have been sent to me have extra long tails. This is the photo sent to me five years ago that inspired the name “Black Longtail”. This is from Texas from a reader who wishes to remain anonymous.
The tail length of these cats is intriguing and matches some of the lengths of the extra large feral cats reported in Australia.
I got a photo myself recently in front of a hog trap I set in a woodlot near my home in Texas. Look at the length of the tail on this cat and the tall ears.
Interesting, isn’t it?
These animals having domestic origin does not make them less intriguing.
As noted on my radio broadcast I do not believe they are the total answer to America’s “black panther” phenomenon but I do believe they are the source of the vast majority of sightings.
You can read part 2 of this series here to see what I think the other answers could be.
Do you have photos of a mysterious black cat? I would love to see them.
I begrudge no one for making assumptions about their sightings. Not everyone is a wildlife expert and there are many voices on social media and in the blogosphere that are touting theories that make things confusing.
It’s hard to sort through all of the noise.
(Submit photos and videos of any wild or feral to chester@chestermoore.com. I would love to see them and share with our readers.)
Update Jan. 2025: New interview with Chester Moore on black panthers here.
Subscribe to this blog to keep up with wildlife mysteries like this.
Strange Sounds In the Forest
Have you ever heard mysterious sounds in the forest?
Ever heard the cougar-related sound of a “woman hollering” in the woods? Ever heard mysterious growls that don’t match any native US animal?
We play these sounds and talk about others including interviewing Ron Morehead of the famous “Sierra Sounds”.
Chester Moore
Follow Chester Moore and Higher Calling Wildlife® on the following social media platforms
@thechestermoore on Instagram
Higher Calling Wildlife on Facebook
Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.