Panthers are a big cat that I think often gets overlooked. Not because they’re not beautiful creatures, we all know they are, but unlike lions and tigers, I don’t think we really know too much about them. I don’t know where they live, how many panthers there are in the world or how they go about their days. This post is as much for me as you. I love finding out more about wild animals and where possible, figuring out charities that we all can help to protect their precious lives. So let’s find out more about the gorgeous panther..

A panther is a leopard.

Yes, I just said leopard. In Asia and Africa, panthers are actually called leopards, how funny is that? They’re the fifth largest cat in the world and the word panther actually refers to jaguars too. It’s more of a collective type of cat, than just one single species.

There’s approximately 250,000 panthers in the world and the reason that we see and know of the ‘black panther’ is due to the dark colour pigmentation mutation in their fur, that makes them appear so dark.

Water babies.

Black panthers are great swimmers and they’re actually known to dive to help them relax. They can leap up to 20 feet to catch their prey and they feed on deers, wild hogs and boar. Thanks to their dark colour, they tend to hunt at night as they’re able to stalk their prey much better.

Unlike a tiger, panthers can and do roar. They’re very solitary animals and can reach speeds of up to 58 kilometers per hour. For anyone who prefers imperial like me, that’s around 36 miles per hour! Madness.

They live with us.

Panthers tend to be found in the hot, dense tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. The majority of leopards found here will be black leopards, rather than light coloured leopards.

They can also be found in areas such as South and Central America, although due to hunting they’re not very commonly seen. It’s also reported that the black panthers live within Australia bushland but one has never been caught, so who knows if this is true.

Panthera.

This is an amazing charity that’s devoted to helping with the conservation of the world’s 40 wild cat species, along with their ecosystems. I’d highly recommend checking out their mission and what they’re doing to help on their website here: Panthera.

Love, always – B
*For commissions, please email me or get in touch on Instagram*
I’d also love for you to check out my Etsy shop here: beccabynature