Black Panther

The black panther frequents various habitats such as forests, grassy savannas, mountains, and deserts throughout Africa and Asia. Panthers, belonging to the genus Panthera, are distinguished by their elegance and agility, just like their cousins, lions, jaguars, and leopards. As carnivores, panthers have specific dietary needs, hunting mainly in their tropical habitat. The black panther is indeed one of the most beautiful varieties of felines, captivating nature lovers and illustrators of wildlife.

Panthers are mainly nocturnal and solitary animals. Territorial, they mark their territory with olfactory marks such as urine or their excrement, and visual marks such as claw marks on various substrates. Communication is achieved through numerous vocalizations such as growls, roars, and even purrs.

Contrary to popular belief, these animals are very good swimmers. They can run at speeds of over 60 km/h and leap nearly 6 meters in length and 3 meters in height.

They have excellent vision and very good hearing.

Panthers are strict carnivores that get most of their water needs from their prey. They prefer to hunt at night, but some subspecies have also been observed hunting during the day in environments where the vegetation is denser.

They hunt by stalking, which consists of approaching the prey as discreetly as possible to pounce on it before it has a chance to escape. However, if the panther has to chase its prey, its powerful legs allow it to reach speeds of nearly 60 km/h to catch up.

Once the prey is caught, the panther bites the back of its neck to break it and paralyze the animal.

Then it bites the snout to suffocate it. To eat its meal in peace, most panthers take refuge in the heights of trees. This prevents their meal from being stolen by other large carnivores like lions or hyenas, for example.

The panther is an opportunistic hunter, so it has one of the most varied diets among large carnivores. Scientists have observed a sub-Saharan African panther hunting nearly 92 different prey. This range of prey includes antelopes or deer as well as smaller prey such as birds, reptiles, or small rodents.

It has even been observed that panthers living near towns or villages enjoy hunting domestic animals such as dogs, cats, or sheep.

But generally, panthers favor prey between 10 and 40 kg.

For panthers, reproduction takes place throughout the year. Depending on its geographic distribution, there is a peak during the rainy season in May. The heat lasts 7 days and cycles every 46 days. Both males and females can have several partners.

Each panther has a territory; those of the females, which are smaller, are partially overlapped by the territories of the males. When a male and female meet, they stay together for several days during which they can mate up to a hundred times a day. After about 3 months of gestation, the female gives birth to a litter of 2 to 3 cubs who weigh less than 1 kg and have their eyes closed for a week.

The first weeks following birth are particularly delicate regarding the survival of the young. The female must continue to feed herself while keeping her still too vulnerable young safe from predators. She then regularly moves her cubs, using large bushes, hollows in trees, or crevices in rocky walls as hiding places.

At 6 to 8 weeks, the young panthers begin to venture out of the den and eat meat. They are weaned at 3 months and become independent at around a year and a half. The survival rate of the young is about 50%.

Sexual maturity occurs during the second year of life. The life expectancy is 10–12 years in the wild and 21–23 years in captivity.

The greatest predator of the panther is man. But other large carnivores present in its habitat, such as hyenas, lions, or African wild dogs, can attack the cubs of the black panther by following the mother to the place where she hides her young. In other scenarios, such as territorial conflicts, an adult panther may be killed by these other species.

Of the 9 subspecies of panthers, 5 are considered either “endangered” or “critically endangered”. Depending on the region, the panther is hunted for pleasure (trophy hunting), its skin, as well as other body parts for traditional Asian medicine.

Although the panther easily adapts to various habitats, the destruction and fragmentation of its environment is intensifying. Multiple habitats are being destroyed for agriculture, leading to a reduction in prey populations. This then causes conflict between humans and panthers, as the latter attack livestock belonging to shepherds, who in some countries are permitted to shoot them on sight. As a result, certain panther populations, fragmented as they are, struggle to sustain themselves long term.

Today, several countries have already abolished panther hunting, and numerous reserves and national parks exist across much of its range. Unfortunately, far too many individuals still live outside these areas, which does not always allow for effective protection of this species. In addition, initiatives such as partnerships with textile companies to replace real animal fur with fake ones during traditional ceremonies have been put in place.

Furthermore, in 2007, a program to reintroduce the panther into the Greater Caucasus was started in Sochi National Park (Russia), leading to the reintroduction of 3 Persian panthers.

No, the black panther is not a subspecies of panther. It is a genetic mutation that responds to environmental conditions. Dense vegetation blocks the sun’s rays, thus, large shadowed areas appear. Individuals born black can therefore camouflage themselves more easily than those with yellow coloring. They are thus advantaged, survive more easily, and reproduce more. In this way, the genes are passed on to the young. This is natural selection.

However, for an individual to be black, both the mother and father must carry the genetic mutation, which is why only 11% of panthers are black.

Among the 9 subspecies of panther, there are individuals with fur that is almost completely black. In fact, the ocelli, the spots that decorate the coat, remain visible. This black fur is the result of a genetic mutation that induces a greater quantity of the pigment melanin in the cells. Melanin is the pigment that colors the skin, hair, and eye cells. The cells are therefore darker than usual. This genetic mutation provides an advantage for camouflage in this dense environment. About 11% of the world’s wild panther population is black.

As with all panthers, the black panther is primarily threatened by hunting and habitat destruction. Additionally, poachers covet the color of its fur.

At Amnéville Zoo, we welcome Mayzor, a female black panther. She shares her life with Shiraz, a female Persian panther.

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