The mountain lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Their color is a light, tawny brown, which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. The big black cats are black leopards or black jaguars and are not referred to as black panthers by anyone who knows anything about big cats. Tales of the mysterious screaming beast have been raising hairs on the back of East Texans’ necks for the better part of nearly two centuries. For more Texas reading , check out: These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Texas There was a resurgence of sightings within the East Texas region that followed a release of 161 black bears from Minnesota by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, between 1964-1967, in an effort to boost populations of the species in Louisiana. Sightings of mysterious black panthers that scream like women in the pine jungles are not at all uncommon in the Pineywoods. Black panther, colloquial term used to refer to large felines classified in the genus Panthera that are characterized by a coat of black fur or large concentrations of black spots set against a dark background. Some jaguars can appear black. When you’re looking at the places in Texas with the highest number of KKK Klaverns per capita back in the day, this is an accurate list. I had no idea Black Panthers were controversial. Texas Mountain Lion Mortality Reports, 1983 to 2005). I have heard of the black panthers mostly in east Texas for years. However, there was once an animal in East Texas called locally a “Mexican lion,” which was actually a small jaguar although it had a very large head. Rather the term is used in general to describe any large predatory cat black in color characterized by an excess of the dark pigment melanin. In fact, there is only one native wild cat living north of the Rio Grande and the Gulf of California which is not found in Texas. Wolves are social creatures and usually run in packs. The jaguarundi ( Felis yagouaroundi ) is known to range from South America to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Founded in Dallas, the group portrays itself as a militant, modern-day expression of the black power movement. Still, it wouldn’t surprise me if an occasional Lobo passed through the area. 1. If actually there are no melanistic (mutation) or black panthers, there are certainly plenty of black leopards in Africa or black jaguars in Latin-America. The term black panther is most frequently applied to black-coated leopards and jaguars. Palestine-This photo was taken just outside of Palestine, off Highway 287 North by a local resident’s game camera.Some people believe the animal in the photo is possibly a black panther. Yes, there are "black panthers" in the United States but believing in their existence doesn't require a leap of faith. Not likely. If you look closely enough, or have enough bright light, you can see spots amongst the dark fur. In the course of a bobwhite quail experiment in East Texas, cats killed 8 quail and 10 cardinals in the experiment traps, on one occasion 6 quail at one time. For that reason, species are often misidentified as “black panthers.” It is not impossible for "black panthers" to be in South Texas. Locals have reported seeing them many times, although this is … Possible Black Panther or Black Bear Caught on Camera in Anderson County. It was recorded that one game in Dallas between the Black Giants and the Fort Worth Black Panthers drew almost 6,000 fans. Legends of black cats run deeper than a little superstition in East Texas. I guess I really want to come to Texas bad. Legends of black cats run deeper than a little superstition in East Texas. I've learned to be skeptical of most lion reports, especially the famed black panthers of the Piney Woods. Despite its name, the NBPP is not an official successor to the Black Panther Party. There are also small native populations of these cats in south Texas. Of course it is a black panther or the cub of a panther.