Year after year, sightings of an animal that eyewitnesses describe as a “black panther” are reported across the state of Mississippi. State officials are usually quick to dismiss these sightings – saying that eyewitnesses have simply seen a domestic housecat or other animal. They are also quick to point out that the animal typically described as a “black panther” doesn’t exsist. If that’s true, then what are so many people seeing? Is there an unknown animal lurking in the woods of the Magnolia State? Let’s take a deep dive into the mysterious black panther sightings in Mississippi.
Melanistic big catPhoto byTony Hisgett (wiki commons)
Why Conservationists Say Black Panthers Don’t Exist
A panther, by definition, is the same animal as a mountain lion. Other names include: cougar, cantamount, painter, and puma. So, the term “black panther” essentially refers to a “black mountain lion”. Now, here’s the problem with that: there has never been a documented specimen of a solid black mountain lion….ever. There has never been a black mountain lion born in captivity, captured, or killed that could be verified. Most biologists believe that the mountain lion lacks the genetic mutation needed to produce a solid black, or melanistic coat. Whatever people are seeing, the officials are adamant that it’s not a black mountain lion. So, what could it be?
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