The black panther is an incredibly beautiful animal. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the phrase "black panther" is Rudyard Kipling's wonderful fairy tale "Mowgli".
Remember the exquisite grace of Bagheera, her contralto, her lazy imposingness. Remembering this image, it is not difficult to agree that the black panther was not without reason in Sumerian mythology a symbol of the goddess of love and fertility.

The black panther is a fairly rare animal found in nature. Her beauty is undeniable.

Black Panther is not a separate species, but is a genetic color variant (melanism) of some cat species - most often, it is a leopard or jaguar. The existence of cougar melanists has not been confirmed. The skin of a black panther is not perfectly black, it always shows visible spots to a greater or lesser extent. E. Gee in "Wild Animals of India" wrote that there are even special "nedopanthers" in which black spots are clearly visible on a light chocolate background. In addition to color, black and spotted leopards are no different, freely interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Cubs from such pairs can be very different - both spotted and black. But the latter is less common because the black gene is recessive and often suppressed by the spotting gene.

The first surprise in studying panthers for nondefault was that panther turned out to be a much broader concept than the average reader of The Jungle Book, that is, me, thinks. Despite the fact that in Western literature a leopard (leopard) is designated as a panther, it turns out that panthers (lat. Panthera) - a genus of large animals in the cat family, consists of four well-known species: a tiger (lat. Panthera tigris), a lion (lat. Panthera leo), leopard (lat. Panthera pardus) and jaguar (lat. Panthera onca). The black panther is not a separate species, but is a genetic color variant (melanism) of some cat species - most often, it is a leopard or jaguar.
The black panther was undoubtedly the most intriguing, and therefore it was previously believed that not a panther is a subspecies of leopards, but a leopard is a hybrid of a panther and a lion, hence its name: "leo" - Latin name lion, "pard" is the old version of the word panther.

Particularly fanatical scientists even cross different types panthers, this results in:
A tiger lion or tigon is a hybrid of a male tiger and a female lioness (never found in nature, since tigers and lions have different habits, mannerisms and distribution areas.)
Liger - a hybrid of a male lion and a female tigress (today it is the largest of the panthers)
Leopon is a hybrid of a male leopard and a female lioness.

The heraldic panther is always depicted "incensed", that is, fire-breathing (enraged), with flames escaping from its mouth and ears. The creature is described as beautiful and kind. When the panther awakens from its sleep, it lets out a pleasant high-pitched chant, and a delightful stream of pleasant-smelling breath comes from its mouth, so that all the animals follow it (except the dragon, which is afraid of the panther and runs away).

The most common black panthers come from leopards,
but there is surprisingly little information about black panthers on the internet. That's why I thought about it and decided to focus on them.

The skin of a black panther is not perfectly black, it always shows visible spots to a greater or lesser extent. There are even special "under-panthers", in which black spots are clearly visible on a light chocolate background. In addition to color, black and spotted leopards are no different, freely interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Cubs from such pairs can be very different - both spotted and black. But the latter is less common because the black gene is recessive and is often suppressed by the spotting gene.

To get one hundred percent black offspring, you need two black panthers, but "negresses" can also be born to spotted parents if their ancestors were black. In addition to color, spotted leopards and panthers are no different from each other.
The most famous black panther is Bagheera in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. In Kipling, this is a male, but in the Russian translation by N. Daruzes and in the domestic cartoon Bagheera - a female, such translation difficulties are due to the fact that in Russian "panther" female.
Yielding to a lion and a tiger in size, the leopard wins with agility and swiftness of movements. He perfectly climbs trees, rocks and feels no less free there than on the ground. His reaction is instant, the attacks are lightning fast, he does not know fear. And it is not for nothing that many scientists and famous hunters consider the leopard to be the most perfect of cats - a supercat.

In Sumerian mythology, the black panther was a symbol of the goddess of love and fertility. If you remember what this animal looks like, it becomes clear why the black panther is a great symbol of love.

IN ancient China there was a cult of five cats, sometimes depicted as tigers or leopards. The black cat ruled the north, winter and the female element of water. Thus, the black panther symbolizes female energy in all its forms: a child, a virgin, a seductress, a mother, a warrior, a seer and a wise old woman.

The panther was also associated with Jesus Christ. In the book "Abodazar" (an ancient Hebrew commentary on the Holy Scriptures), "Panther" is the generic name of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Here, a certain person is mentioned who healed the sick after long suffering and symbolic death.

Indians of the North and South America endowed the jaguar, especially the black one, with great magical power. The jaguar can climb trees and rocks, run and swim even better than the tiger. Because of this ability to perform excellently in various environments. He became for the Latin American Indians a symbol of boundless and immeasurable power, a symbol of power over all spheres of life. The Tukano Indians, who lived in the Amazon, considered the roar of the jaguar to be thunder. Black Panther was the deity of darkness. She caused eclipses by swallowing the sun. These beliefs testify to how powerful the female energies are. If the panther has become your totem, the power of these energies in your life will increase.

Panthers are more aggressive than most leopards. Panthers can get pretty close to humans because they have absolutely no fear of humans. Unfortunately, real black panthers are not so formidable as to defend themselves from hunters who exterminate this "race" for their rare beautiful skin, making it even more rare.
It happens that this predator lives near settlements, keeps alone and goes hunting at night. He perfectly climbs trees, often settling there for daytime rest or in ambush, and sometimes even catches monkeys in trees. However, the panther mainly hunts on the ground. Panthers sleep on trees, stretched out on branches and hanging their paws down. They can jump up trees up to 5.5 meters high. There is one essential feature that distinguishes leopards from other big cats: it is the habit of dragging their prey into the trees. Thus, their food remains safe and will not get to other predators - lions and hyenas.

Panthers, when they are full, will not attack even a small goat if it walks near the nose of a wild cat. But when the panther is hungry, it will throw itself at everything. The danger for people is that panthers can settle near human habitation. If the panther is hungry for a long time, then the cat can easily enter villages and cities. Since panthers are nocturnal hunters, they often attack sleeping people. Although panthers become cannibals much less often than, say, tigers or lions.
After 3-3, 5 months of pregnancy, the female gives birth to cubs in a deaf secluded place. The lair is arranged in a cave, a rocky crevice, under uprooted tree roots, in hollows of standing or fallen trees, or even in someone's empty hole. Leopard kittens in our country are most often 2, occasionally 1 or 3. In warm regions, there are broods of 4, very rarely of 5 newborns.
After giving birth, the newly-made mother is so absorbed in caring for a blind, deaf, completely helpless offspring that she almost does not leave him for 8-10 days: she does not eat, does not drink, but only feeds, licks, warms. At this time, she will not spare her life for her babies, and the fate of animals or humans inadvertently approaching the lair is unenviable. He even drives his friend away until the kittens see the light. At this time, the father of the family lives nearby and occasionally brings the female food, and when she, exhausted from thirst, begins to run to the source, he vigilantly guards the lair.

Black panthers look great in the circus arena, but they are extremely rare in the circus arena. There are many reasons for this, one of which is the danger of this enterprise. The fact is that the black panther is an animal that is rather difficult to predict ... Maritsa Zapashnaya is the only woman in Europe who trains these animals. Its attraction is the only one in Europe.

This black beauty is a flexible and fearless animal. Panther is the heroine of numerous fairy tales, legends and myths. Goddess of the animal world, graceful and majestic... This is all a black panther - a wild cat. One of the most mysterious predators on our planet.

Why black?

It is an erroneous opinion that the panther must be black. This is wrong. The fact is that the black panther is not a separate species, but just a subspecies of the cat family. In fact, it is a leopard or jaguar with a black coat color. Such animals are also called melanists, and their color is determined by their habitat and lifestyle. Since the black panther lives in dense forests and hunts at night, it is convenient for her to have this color. At the same time, her mountain relatives are white, and the cloisters of the savannas and steppes are yellow with black specks.

By the way, the skin of a black panther is often heterogeneous. It may have light spots and be brown with a black tint. Panthers different colors perfectly interbreed with each other and produce offspring. If in a family one of the parents is black, and the second is yellow, then the cubs are likely to be yellow, since this color is genetically stronger. To be guaranteed to get dark offspring, you need to cross two black individuals.

Physiological features of the black panther

Panther is a well-built wild cat with a harmonious, flexible body, beautiful strong paws and a long tail. Its weight is approximately 60 kg, height - 70 cm, and body length - from a meter to two. This is a very graceful animal. The panther has a well-developed sense of smell, which helps it to hunt. The movements of a wild cat are smooth and silent. This, plus the black color, which allows you to merge with the night, allows the predator to sneak up on the victim unnoticed and take her by surprise.

An interesting feature of panthers is a specific larynx, which can swell due to the flexible bone of the hyoid apparatus. This structure of the vocal apparatus allows them to emit a chilling roar. She runs at a speed of 60 m / s, and the height of her jump reaches six meters. As you can see, this wild cat is a fairly fast animal. Panther easily catches up with prey.

Lifespan

A panther lives an average of 12 years. In captivity, the duration of her life increases to 20. True, keeping a black cat in a cage, and even more so training, is not a good idea. After all, the panther is very aggressive, self-willed and does not feel fear of anyone. Neither in front of the king of animals - a lion, nor in front of the ruler of the planet - a man. Neighborhood with her is simply dangerous.

Where does the black panther live and how does it hunt?

The main habitat of black panthers is rainforests Africa, Asia and South America. Most often they prefer to stay away from human habitation, but there are also cases when wild cats live near villages and cities.

Panther is a predator. Her favorite food - the meat of large and medium-sized ungulates, but in the most extreme cases, it can be content with monkeys, bird eggs, and even fruit. Panthers in nature are able to do without food for 4-5 days. And when hungry, they represent a terrible force that threatens even a person. It is not uncommon for panthers to attack sleeping people, and a cow stolen from a barn is generally a common thing. At the same time, a well-fed panther will not touch a kid that is at a distance of an outstretched paw.

The predator looks out for and kills its victims on the ground (often near watering holes), and loves to dine on a tree, lying on its stomach and tearing off large pieces of meat with a jerk of its head. In the same place, among the branches, at a height of more than five meters, she sleeps during the day before night hunting.

Reproduction features

Pregnancy in panthers lasts 3-3.5 months, after which charming kittens are born. Most often there are two of them, less often - one and very rarely - 4-5 babies. Large offspring are characteristic of cats living in warm regions. Panther - caring mother. For childbirth, she is looking for a deaf, dark place away from prying eyes. It can be either a hole under the roots of trees, or a cave, or a hollow.

A wild cat devotes all its time to babies. She does not leave them for a minute and does not allow anyone, even her father, to her children. He would give his life for them without hesitation. For the first 10 days, the panther practically does not eat or drink, because it does not leave its lair. She is content only with what the male brings her, and sometimes brings herself to starvation. When the kittens become sighted and begin to hear, the mother slowly returns to her former life, but continues to take care of the children until the age of one.

Panther in mythology and fairy tales

The most famous representative of these wild cats is the heroine of the fairy tale "Mowgli" by Kipling. By the way, in the original "The Jungle Book" it was not about the beautiful Bagheera, but about a handsome man named Bagheera. The gender change occurred already during the translation into Russian.

And, of course, Kipling is not the first to put the panther on a pedestal. So, for example, the Sumerians considered her the goddess of fertility and love; the Chinese associated the panther with a woman in all her manifestations; for the Indians, the black jaguar was the embodiment of unlimited strength and power. Even the Christian religion did not ignore this unique animal. In the Hebrew commentary on the Holy Scriptures, the name of Mary's husband, Joseph, is translated as "panther", and this person himself is endowed with the gift of healing from illness and salvation from certain death.

This is such a unique animal. The panther is highly respected by humans, and this is not surprising. After all, she is not only dazzlingly beautiful. Her mind, wisdom, dexterity and desperate fearlessness cause genuine admiration!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Black Panthers- dark-colored individuals of a number of panther species, which are a genetic color variant - a manifestation of melanism. The black panther is not a separate species. Most often it is a leopard or jaguar.

In addition to the color of the color, black and spotted individuals of leopards and jaguars are no different, freely interbreed and give fertile offspring. Cubs from such pairs can be very different - both spotted and black. But the latter is less common because the black gene is recessive and is often suppressed by the spotting gene.

Incomplete melanism

A concept close to melanism is incomplete melanism or pseudo-melanism ("abundism")- a condition in which increased pigmentation of the skin or other integument occurs not evenly, but in separate areas. Pseudo-melanism is found in leopards. With abundism, for example, spots or stripes in animals with spotted or striped integument may expand to the point of fusion, which leads to so-called pseudo-melanism. Melanism and abundism are most often the result of mutations, but can also occur due to other factors, such as exposure to temperature during pregnancy, which can affect gene transcription and translation.

In heraldry and mythology

Heraldic panthers

• The heraldic panther is always depicted " incensed”, that is, fire-breathing (enraged), with flames escaping from the mouth and ears. The creature is described as beautiful and kind. When the panther awakens from its sleep, it lets out a pleasant high-pitched chant, and a delicious stream of pleasant-smelling breath comes from its mouth, so that all the animals follow it (except the dragon, which is afraid of the panther and runs away).
• Panther was the emblem ( badge listen)) of the English kings Henry IV and Henry VI. Sometimes she is depicted as an ordinary panther type animal, sometimes (especially in German heraldry) as a creature with four horns, cow ears and a long red tongue in the form of a flame.
• On the coat of arms of an African country

Large predators of the cat family with signs of melanism began to be called panthers at the whim of a person. The history of the name goes back to Latin, Greek, ancient Indian languages, meaning "tiger". Myths and facts about the life of panthers are thoroughly intertwined.

The genetic characteristic of animals is either a disorder or a form of defense in a harsh environment. The dark color is more often manifested in predators that have been in impenetrable forests for a long time, where almost no sunlight falls. In dense thickets, the night-colored hide helps to survive.

The black panthers include formidable representatives of predators:

• tiger;
• lion
• leopard
• jaguar.

In Malaysia, half of all leopards can be classified as panthers based on the corresponding black color of the animal.

Panther is not a separate species, but a genus of cats that has a genetic change in color

Black cougars are not found, although the gene mutation leading to melanism is inherent even in foxes, which are called silver foxes. From a distance, the color of the skins of melanistic animals seems uniform, but up close, one can see emerging spots on a dark background.

In addition to color, other individuals of the genus are no different from relatives. Crossing gives multicolor offspring: chocolate, red, spotted, less often black. This is explained by the laws of genetics, according to which the recessive gene for blackness is often suppressed by others.

In numerous photographs of black panthers, you can most often see

• South American jaguars showing the dominant form of the alternative gene;
• African or Asian leopards with a recessive form of the gene.

Interestingly, the name "panther" is applied to other felines with a reddish, even white skin. But still, the calling card of the classic image is the Mephistopheles color. In the black scale there are tints of blue, gray and purple colors.

Black panther is an animal big size. Body length - up to 2 meters, height - about 70 cm, weight - 50-60 kg. The elongated body of the predator is flexible, taut, graceful. Strong paws, large claws on the fingers, which the beast retracts like a domestic one.

The tail can be equal to half the length of the body. Males are larger than females by about 25%.

The head of the animal is large, slightly elongated. Ears and eyes are small. The look of a real predator, piercing and cold. Powerful jaws, sharp teeth complete the image of a merciless beast.

Most panthers have an aggressive nature, which makes the animal very dangerous.

Many ancient peoples believed black panther - totem animal. Grace, majesty, strength, willfulness of character have always caused a special worship of a person to an elegant and ferocious animal. The speed of the running panther reaches 80 km / h, the height in the jump is up to 6 meters.

The panther in heraldry is depicted as furious, with flames from his mouth and ears. In the description, she is endowed with beautiful features, she is credited with magical singing, which captivates other animals, except for the dragon. He runs away from the panther.

In reality, the panther has a special larynx that allows it to emit a terrible roar that chills the soul in the dark.

Kinds

It is possible to talk about the types of panthers conditionally, since the nature of the animal is based on genetic mutation four known species of the cat family: leopard (leopard), jaguar, lion and.

Leopard panthers are superior to lions and tigers in swiftness and dexterity. The ability to climb trees, rocks, excellent reaction, fearlessness make them super cats. The ancient Sumerians recognized black panthers as goddesses of fertility and love.

Jaguar panthers are also unique in their ability to survive in different environments. The Indians called them the deities of darkness, and the roar of animals was considered a clap of thunder.

Artificial breeding of hybrids, i.e. crossing the panther and other wild cats, has led to the appearance of:

• tigon - a hybrid of a lioness (panther) and a tiger;
• liger - a hybrid of a tigress and a lion (panther);
• leopona - a hybrid of a lioness and a leopard (panther);
• pumaparda - a hybrid of a puma and a leopard (panther).

In the natural environment, hybrids are not found due to the different natural ranges of tigers and lions. The birth of kittens of different related species is possible in cramped conditions of zoos and circuses.

Ligers are born much more often than tigons. The hereditary traits of the pope prevail in the form of kittens. To date, ligers are the largest cats, whose growth reaches 4 meters, weight - more than 300 kg. It is almost impossible to get offspring from them.

Tygons appear less frequently. After birth, babies are usually sick and weak. The size of the grown individuals is smaller than that of the parents.

As a reminder of the existence of leopon and pumapard, only stuffed animals of these animals, doomed to extinction, remained. Many researchers are convinced of the futility of experiments on crossing these predators.

Lifestyle and habitat

The geographic range of panthers is wide. Numerous populations are found in Asia, South, in the African expanses. If black leopards are more common in the mountains of Ethiopia, then black jaguars live in the American wilds.

IN wild nature panthers are attracted to tropical, foothills. places, where does the black panther live, most often impassable and remote from human settlements. When meeting a person, animals do not show aggression if they are not hungry and do not need self-defense. A dangerous predator has cunning and great strength.

Black panthers are predominantly nocturnal. Color gives them a significant advantage in hunting. They move silently, smoothly, excellent sense of smell allows you to easily detect prey.

During the day, after long walks in the dense forest, panthers sleep for a long time among the branches. For recreation, they find places in dense thickets at a height of 4-5 meters.

The nature of animals is distinguished by waywardness, stamina, determination. Attempts to make the beast domestic, tame inevitably ended in failure. Therefore, it is very rare to see black panthers at circus performances.

They are practically not amenable to training. The only attraction with panthers in Europe is run by Maritsa Zapashnaya. The unpredictability of animals is always associated with great risk in working with them.

These are individualists in their warehouse, preferring a solitary existence or in married couples. Creating a pride like lions is a rare exception. Each individual or pair has its own territory, the borders of which cannot be violated by relatives.

Panthers are considered perhaps the most bloodthirsty predators among other feline representatives. A hungry animal does not choose a victim, it rushes to all living things. Panthers have no fear of anyone. A panther can approach a person on its own, unlike other cautious relatives.

Predatory animals are always attractive inhabitants of zoos. Visitors different countries have an ongoing interest in wildlife. The mystery of other worlds, the secrets of their inhabitants attract people who make panthers the symbols of various cultures. It is no coincidence that the image of Panther Bagheera based on Kipling's book "Mowgli" was widely known.

Interesting fact noticed by fans of the English writer. The fairy tale actually shows male black panther Baghir. But in the process of translation, the gender of the character was changed, since the word panther is feminine. In addition, the grace, grace, wisdom, and beauty inherent in the image were usually attributed to heroines.

Possessing colossal patience, panthers can track prey for hours.

Nutrition

The predator's favorite food is the meat of large herbivores: buffaloes, antelopes, zebras. The theft of domestic sheep, cows, pigs that are left without human supervision is a common thing. Hungry animals are content with monkeys, game, eggs from nests, they can even feast on the fruits of garden trees.

Panthers search for victims on the ground, often guarding prey at watering places. Meat eating takes place on a tree. The carcass is torn to pieces by sharp teeth and jerks of the head. This feature distinguishes panthers from relatives of lions and other feline relatives.

At a height, food is inaccessible to earthly competitors - hyenas, jackals and other predators.

Animals can survive for 4-5 days without food. But then the panthers are able to sneak into dwellings, farmsteads, barns in search of prey. It is interesting that a well-fed animal will not even touch a kid standing at its paw.

The hungry beast will stop at nothing. In cannibalism, the panther is seen, but to a lesser extent than tigers or lions.

Reproduction and lifespan

Kittens of the family reach puberty by 2-3 years. The warm climate in the habitat allows breeding all year round. After mating, the female is looking for a deaf safe place for childbirth. Most often, this is a hole between the roots of trees, a secluded place in a cave, a large hollow. The duration of pregnancy is 3-3.5 months.

There are usually two kittens in a litter, one is much less common, there are exceptional cases of the appearance of 4-5 babies. Kittens are born blind. Panther is a caring mother. For the first time, she does not let anyone in to the heirs, she herself does not go anywhere.

Black kittens can be born in habitual spotted animals, but then panthers interbreed with each other

Up to 10 days, the female is occupied only by babies. She warms them, licks them, feeds them. No one dares to approach the mother's lair. Kittens feed on milk, the father of the family takes care of the female, brings her food.

When the female runs to a watering hole, the babies do not remain under the care of their father for long. In worries, the mother panther sometimes brings herself to exhaustion.

When the kittens have sight and hearing, the female begins to gradually restore her strength, return to her usual life, but continues to take care of her offspring. Guardianship of growing kittens, teaching them the skills of hunting, movement lasts about a year, after which the youngsters independently cope with the intricacies of animal life.

Panthers can take care of their kittens for up to two years.

IN natural conditions Panthers live 10-12 years. In captivity, under human control, life expectancy increases to 20 years. Observations of predators show that in the second ten years of life, a decrease in the vital activity of animals occurs.

The search for easy victims, feeding on carrion replaces hunting for large and strong animals. Forces are gradually leaving the fearless panthers.

The color of the offspring largely depends on the color of the skins of the parents. Black kittens are rare as the recessive black gene is suppressed by others. It is possible to achieve the emergence of a new generation of black panthers under the condition of the same ancestors. As a rule, targeted breeding of feline predators is carried out in nurseries.

Nature creates real panther beauties not so often. The influence of man on the maintenance of such a miracle is very palpable. As in mythology, so in life, strength and beauty win.

Panther clan - Panthera- unites large animals in the cat family, consists of four well-known species: tiger - , a lion panthera leo, leopard - Panthera pardus and jaguar Panthera onca.

All panthers have a special structure of the larynx, which allows them to roar. The fact is that in representatives of the genus, the hyoid apparatus is not completely ossified - in place of one of the bones, it contains a flexible ligament that allows the larynx to swell. In addition, their vocal cords are undivided and form a tubular structure that functions as a very efficient sound-producing device.

The black panther is not a separate species, but is a genetic variant of the coloration (melanism) of some cat species - most often, it is a leopard or jaguar. The existence of cougar melanists has not been confirmed. The skin of a black panther is not perfectly black, it always shows visible spots to a greater or lesser extent.

In different parts of their range, lions have developed various physical properties. A lion from South Africa may look different than a lion from the Kalahari. Therefore, some scientists believe that each isolated population of lions represents its own subspecies.

Other scientists, conducting genetic studies of various populations, have come to the conclusion that the genetic sets of African lions are so close that they can be recognized as one subspecies. These scientists adhere to the theory that distinguishes only two subspecies: African and Asiatic lions. It should be noted that scientists have also described the following subspecies of lions:

1. Asiatic lion;
2. Angolan or Katangese lion;
3. Berber, North African; or the Lion of Atlas;
4. Cape Lion;
5. European lion;
6. Sudanese, or Nubian lion;
7. Lion Kalahari;
8. Lion Kruger; or Transvaal;
9. Lion Masai;
10. Middle Eastern lion;
11. Senegalese, or West African lion.

Currently, biologists and zoologists do not have a formal classification of subspecies of lions and their external characteristics.