Posted on 08/28/2007 2:33:06 PM PDT by BGHater
For years there have been stories of Black Florida Panthers prowling in our wilderness, but there's never been any official record they exist.
Now that mystery may be over.
A cat has been captured and researchers at the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary say they now know what people were referring to when they said they saw the panther.
We're all familiar with the Florida Panther, golden in color and about 130 pounds.
You may have also heard of a "Black Panther," which has been like our local Lochness Monster; people have said they've seen it, but it's never been caught.
One woman recently called the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary because she said she had one right in her back yard.
"She said she had this gigantic Black Panther in her back yard and that it had killed a pet turkey that she'd had. She was hysterical," says David Hitzig with the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.
"She describes to me this big black cat the size of a Labrador dog," says Deron Hartman, also with the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary.
Hartman responded to the woman's call for help and the turkey snatcher turned out to be no Black Panther instead, a Black Bobcat.
"It's a very unique animal. It's very rare. It's definitely the highlight of my trapping," says Hartman.
It weighs only about 20 pounds and it's color is black from head to tail with one white spot on the belly.
Hartman says less than a dozen have been recorded. Most of them in South Florida near the Loxahatchee River and St. Lucie Canal. The first was discovered about 70 years ago.
But it's more than just a rare find, it can also help bring answers to an old Florida tale.
"For years, people here in Florida have talked about Black Florida Panthers. First of all, Florida Panthers are basically a Cougar. There has never ever been a Black Cougar or a Florida Panther ever found. No record of them, no pictures, no hides, no skins, nothing. but still we hear these stories of black cats that lurk in the wilds of Florida," says Hitzig. "Maybe we have kind of found that missing piece of the puzzle and we now know what everybody's been talking about when they say, 'I saw a Black Panther in the wild.' But really they saw a Black Bobcat."
The sanctuary says they'll be working with the state to run DNA and blood tests. They want to make sure there's official documentation that the Black Bobcat exists... even if the Black Panther does not. The sanctuary plans to return the Black Bobcat to the wild
BTTT
Bobcats can cross breed with domesticated house cats. No kidding. At 20 to 16 pounds it sounds like an F1 cross. Bobcats out west usually run bigger; 28 - 45 pounds. A new cat breed called Pixie Bobs (this is for real!) are very large cats and usually come in the 30 pound range. They really stand out at cat shows and their reputation among cat fanciers is that they have a personality like a dog as they tend to become quite attached to just one person.
Wow! When they say ‘black’ they really meant it. I expected it to be dark but that cat is solid jet black. Beautiful. I’m glad they are going to return it to the wild.
My pet cat “Halloween Kitty” is bigger than that. She is about 17 pounds.
They are cougars and that's why they aren't endangered.
You can really see by the shape of his face and head that he is no ordinary house cat. What a beauty though.
Yes, the black fur makes an excellent camouflage. Just ask any member of my family, after they have tripped over 17+ pounds of Huey during the night. He specializes in tripping folks in the hall, on the way to the bathroom.
That said, the yellow cougars of the Western U.S. periodically produce a black one out of the blue, so to think that some of the Florida cats periodically do the same thing is not out of the question. After all, the Florida panther and the Western cougar are very close relatives. But, given the rarity with which this happens in the relatively large cougar population, there are so few Florida cats that it would be a true rarity for them to produce a black one.
My Russian Blue I think had the best color for night or day time hunting. Her fur didn’t reflect light and was still dark enough. I could tell she had no problems due tio the large selection of dead anmails she would leave on my doorstep.
“Momma Cat” died 2007, victim of free trade with China AKA Menu foods.
Cool cat!
Look at this big kitty...
There's a major advantage for those living in Africa to be black. Black skin forms a pretty effective barrier in preventing overdosage of UV which would form excessive amounts of vitamin D. Too much vitamin D is as bad, or worse, than not enough vitamin D - resulting in bone malformation among other things.
Could they check the DNA of the toe and claw?
Kitty kitty kitty.........
 |
TOMMYDALE |
Dunno. How much pink snow do they have in your part of the world?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.