What is and isn't a Panther?

By boogjuice
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boogjuice

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What actually is and isn't a Panther?

Is there a difference between a Panther and a Black Panther?

Is a Panther a 'big cat' that falls under the genus Panthera (Tiger, Lion, Jaguar & Leopard) or is there more to what makes a cat 'eligable' to be classified a Panther?

Is a 'Black Panther' a Melanistic Leopard or a Melanistic Jaguar?

Can a Leopard or Jaguar still be called a Panther if they are not Melanistic?

Why is one of the Cougars many names a Panther? Why is the Florida Panther (Cougar) considered a Panther? What makes the Cougar any more special then a Tiger, Lion or Cheetah that it can be classified a Panther whether its black or not?

It's only today that I have decided to look into 'Panthers' and have found that the name 'Panther' seems to be loosely used.

If there is no difference between a Panther and Black Panther then I would assume that a cat would have to be black in colour (like a Melanisic Leopard and Melanistic Jaguar) to be eligable to be called a Panther and if this was the case then a Cougar would not be a Panther?

I'm a little confused why a Cougar is a Panther even if its black or not. Yet a Jaguar and Leopard are only Panthers if they're Black Panthers (Melanistic). If a Panther does not have to be Melanistic then why are Tigers and Lions not considered Panthers? Or are they? If they are; then why?

WHAT ON EARTH MAKES A CAT A PANTHER!?

WHAT ON EARTH IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PANTHER AND BLACK PANTHER!?

WHY, OH WHY, IS A COUGAR A PANTHER DESPITE WHETHER IT IS BLACK OR NOT!?

I have searched high and low for a reason as to WHY a Couger can be called a Panther and why it was even given the name Florida Panther, when it’s not even black or Melanistic! Yet a Leopard and a Jaguar can only be called a Panther if it is Melanistic, and even then they should technically be called a Black Leopard or a Black Jaguar.

I have spent my weekend really looking into the Panther. It all started because I wanted the word Panther translated into a native American Indian language to use as part of my name on a game Guild Wars. What’s funny is I have not even had a chance to play the game yet. I have been so busy looking into Panthers and what REALLY is and isn’t a Panther.

From what I understand ‘technically’ (god knows why? Maybe you can help me) a Jaguar is not a Panther either! Why do so many websites say that ‘technically’ only the Leopard is a Panther and not a Jaguar. I just don’t get it. The word Panther seems to be slip slop slapped around as bad as the word love is by a love sick girlfriend/boyfriend.

What REALLY makes a cat eligible to be called a Panther? What’s TECHNICALLY a Panther? If TECHNICALLY a Panther is only a Leopard then why throw the term around so easily and also call a Jaguar a Panther if it is not a true Panther? Do we call a female stripper a cop just because she’s dressed in a sexy cop outfit...? NO. Why was the Cougar ever called a Panther? Or was it only ever called a Panther when the Americans decided to call it a Florida Panther in one part of their country, which would then mean the Cougar should not ever be called a Panther but a Florida Panther (which I disagree on – I believe it should neither be called a Panther or a Florida Panther – What resemblance does it have with a REAL Panther? – but that brings me back to my original question (funny that I seem to be doing that all weekend) WHAT IS AND ISN’T A REAL PANTHER!?!)

Edited by boogjuice
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Izlude

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fear not, it's the same thing. like when you call striped cats a tabby and a orange black and white cat a calico ;) but what do i know, i raise sand cats for a living. just look at my baby!! he's a half breed!

conradab9.png

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shihchiun

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felidae

As for what is and what is not a panther... common names are separate from scientific names, so what people call a 'panther' may or may not actually be a member of the Panthera genus (or Pantherinae subfamily). This would be why, in common terms, a couger may be a 'panther' even though it is actually a member of the Puma genus, which is obviously not in the Pantherinae subfamily. Additionally, although they may not be called 'panthers' in common terminology, tigers, lions, leopards, and jaguars are all in the Panthera genus. So... technically they are.

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gollux

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In the south, I've heard Puma's referred to as Painters, they drop the h.

Kind of funny when you first hear it, you are expecting they saw some guy in a white bill cap and white overalls out running around with a paint brush and bucket messing with their hogs.

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Angelic Marge

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Glad to see there are so many on topic replies and so many 'educated' replies. I really chose the wrong forum to create this thread on...

You were being serious when you asked the panther question? Maybe it's just me but your post looks like someone messing about. I thought the replies fit right in but I guess I got the wrong end of the stick. Sorry :blush: :laugh:

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PermaSt0ne

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Glad to see there are so many on topic replies and so many 'educated' replies. I really chose the wrong forum to create this thread on...

the second reply to your post answered your question. this is something you can easily look up online and get official answers to instead of peoples opinions

they are all technically the same thing, but they have minor differences in anatomy and in looks. people from different areas call them different things. cugars = mountains, panther = jungle, jaguar = jungle, lepord = savanah, cheetah = savanah

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boogjuice

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I have searched high and low for a reason as to WHY a Couger can be called a Panther and why it was even given the name Florida Panther, when it?s not even black or Melanistic! Yet a Leopard and a Jaguar can only be called a Panther if it is Melanistic, and even then they should technically be called a Black Leopard or a Black Jaguar.

I have spent my weekend really looking into the Panther. It all started because I wanted the word Panther translated into a native American Indian language to use as part of my name on a game Guild Wars. What?s funny is I have not even had a chance to play the game yet. I have been so busy looking into Panthers and what REALLY is and isn?t a Panther.

From what I understand ?technically? (god knows why? Maybe you can help me) a Jaguar is not a Panther either! Why do so many websites say that ?technically? only the Leopard is a Panther and not a Jaguar. I just don?t get it. The word Panther seems to be slip slop slapped around as bad as the word love is by a love sick girlfriend/boyfriend.

What REALLY makes a cat eligible to be called a Panther? What?s TECHNICALLY a Panther? If TECHNICALLY a Panther is only a Leopard then why throw the term around so easily and also call a Jaguar a Panther if it is not a true Panther? Do we call a female stripper a cop just because she?s dressed in a sexy cop outfit...? NO. Why was the Cougar ever called a Panther? Or was it only ever called a Panther when the Americans decided to call it a Florida Panther in one part of their country, which would then mean the Cougar should not ever be called a Panther but a Florida Panther (which I disagree on ? I believe it should neither be called a Panther or a Florida Panther ? What resemblance does it have with a REAL Panther? ? but that brings me back to my original question (funny that I seem to be doing that all weekend) WHAT IS AND ISN?T A REAL PANTHER!?!)

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boogjuice

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the second reply to your post answered your question. this is something you can easily look up online and get official answers to instead of peoples opinions

Is that right kid? Mate I have been researching big cats and the 'Panther' all weekend. The information about what is and isn't a REAL Panther and why a Cougar of all cat's is a Panther is so wide spread and inconsistent it's not funny.

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gollux

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Ziinnnng! Ouch! Well, we're all a bunch of computer geeks here. But I may be able to steer you in some direction.

Cougar

Jaguar

Leopard

Panther is an alternate name for a Leopard (Genus Pantera).

Some of the Leopards are completely black.

Puma or Mountain Lions are also called Panthers (Genus Puma).

The mountain lion is probably called a panther because a bunch of european rubes called it that. They didn't have an Archibald Menzies along to properly study and codify what they were looking at. Same thing with the Jaguar, it kind of looked like a Leopard so some conquistador decided it was a pantera until he got corrected and the black version became a pantera.

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shihchiun

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WHAT IS AND ISN’T A REAL PANTHER!?!)

If we consider a 'real panther' to be any species in the Panthera genus, then what distinguishes between a panther and not a panther is the ability to roar. I'm sure there are others, but that was the one that stuck out to me.

It took me about two seconds to find this on Wikipedia.

As for common names... no idea. People probably just thought they looked similar and started calling them panthers.

Continued:

'Panther,' or 'Panthera,' is a genus, not a species. Therefore, anything called a Panther would be something found in the Panthera genus. Whoever said only the Leopard is a 'true' is wrong. Panthers can be tigers, leopards, jaguars, or lions.

The cougar is not a panther. It is a puma.

'Black panthers' are simply black-colored individuals of any of the species or subspecies found in the Panthera genus.

I think what you're getting caught up on is the difference between scientific names and classifications and common names. Common names are names given by non-experts. Scientific names and classifications are given by scientists. Common names often are incorrect.

Edited by shihchiun
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Fred Derf Veteran

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The answer for this question is the same as the question about why a tomato is considered a vegetable. When non-scientists get a hold of something they screw it up.

Scientifically, anything that is a member of Panthera genus is a Panther (whether or not it is black).

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kylejn

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The answer for this question is the same as the question about why a tomato is considered a vegetable. When non-scientists get a hold of something they screw it up.

Scientifically, anything that is a member of Panthera genus is a Panther (whether or not it is black).

Since when is a tomato considered a vegetable? I thought everybody knew that it was a fruit?

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gollux

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Biology Online Description

Panther - Panthera

Old English Pantere, French Panthere, Latin Panthera, Gr, prob. From. Sanskrit. Pundrika -> a tiger.

So the Spanish referred to big cats as Pantera, the big cats they saw in the new world were assumed to be Pantera. If they had landed in South America first and asked the natives, they might have got it right, in Quechua one is a Puma and in Tupi-Guarani the other is a Jaguar.

It's kind of like dealing out here with fir trees. There's are the true firs, douglas fir and a whole other bunch of fir like trees. The first explorers through the area named them after things that were alike in Europe. Alike is not Same As and had to be all sorted out later. Common names can vary all over the map and completely confuse, sometimes it can be very dangerous as what was food in one hemisphere can be poison in another. It's why biology codified the Linnaean naming system and still to this day is reclassifying and renaming as they study and DNA test plants and animals.

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gollux

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As a further note, to answer your question as to why all the confusion.

Consider the American buffalo or Bison. Look at pictures of water buffalo and African buffalo. Then look at a Bison. How did they come up with that one? It looks quite a bit different, huge head, huge shoulders, really skinny hind end. But the buffalo name is permanently welded to it when you are studying history in school.

Then you have American Elk or Wapiti. It probably should have been called the American Red Deer if you held with European similarities but instead the Wapiti because of its size is called an Elk despite this being a European name for what we'd call a Moose.

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shihchiun

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Since when is a tomato considered a vegetable? I thought everybody knew that it was a fruit?

When you're talking about food, tomatoes are generally considered vegetables.

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Nicholas-c Veteran

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<offtopic>At work (Supermarket/grocery store) tomatoes scan as vegetables and are under the "Vegetable section" on the list of prices :p</offtopic>

Generally everyone thinks panthers are black animals tiger looking things, generally wrong :p as stated they are not just black.

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kylejn

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When you're talking about food, tomatoes are generally considered vegetables.

Huh, never knew that. I just figured that it tended to be served with other vegetables (like toppings on a cheeseburger), but was still a fruit. Weird!

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