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Several species of larger cats are born black, in the same litter where their siblings are born with normal color.

Black leopards seem pure black, but the actual background color of their fur is deep dark reddish-brown and when strong bright light hits its fur (as you can see on its hind quarter) you immediately see the reddish-brown fur with the black spots that normal leopards carry.

Generally black leopards like to stay in shade or dark places since their black color overheats their body quickly when in the sun. Like most cats they sleep by day and hunt by night.

To sire a black leopard both parents can be regular-colored so long as both carry the melanistic gene for color.

Melanism is an over development of dark-colored pigment in the skin. It is the opposite of albinism.

Sometimes, young black leopards are forced by their mother to leave home and become independent earlier than other regular-colored leopard cubs.

Black leopards are most commonly seen in the dense and dimly lit tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia, where their dark coats provide them with good camouflage.

It is thought that melanism may confer a selective advantage under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower.

Recent, preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the immune system.

Melanistic leopards are the most common form of black panther in captivity and they have been selectively bred for decades in the zoo and exotic pet trades.

Black leopards are smaller and more lightly built than normally-pigmented individuals.

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Fl, where I took these pics, is a licensed rescue facility and has 41 cats at the present time.

They have been in the rescue business for 27 years but have only been open to the pubic (weekends and special events only) for 10 years.

They have Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, two coatimundis and
two arctic foxes. all were either donated or confiscated by the government.

They are not a zoo nor do they breed the animals. When an animal comes to their 10 acre facility it will be there for the rest of its natural life.

These three Siberian tiger cubs are about 9 wks old.

They are not yet weaned off the bottle nor have they learned to take care of bodily functions on their own (up to 11 or 12 weeks they have needed a certain kind of simulation in order to induced them to do both functions). In the wild the mother takes care of this little bit of encouragement, until they they get the hang of it themselves.

These 3 were still too young when "rescued" so the staff needs to act for mama, or the cubs could be in real trouble.

These youngsters were taken away from an unlicenced private party by authorities, who is no longer mating tigers (or else, say authorities).

As I said, Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Fl, where I took these pics, is a licensed rescue facility and has 41 cats at the present time.

They have been in the rescue business for 27 years but have only been open to the pubic (weekends and special events only) for 10 years.

They have Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, two coatimundis and
two arctic foxes. all were either donated or confiscated by the government.

They are not a zoo nor do they breed the animals. When an animal comes to their 10 acre facility it will be there for the rest of its natural life.

They are funded through grants and private donations and receive no tax-payer's dollars.

If you are interested in donating go to their web site (I have not affiation with with them what-so-ever in case you were wondering).

The Cougar (Puma concolor), is a mammal of the family, native to the Americas. It is a sleek looking cat with beautiful smooth fur

This large, solitary cat has the greatest range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

Males typically weigh 53 to 100 kilograms (115 to 220 pounds), averaging 62 kg (137 lb). Females typically weigh between 29 and 64 kg (64 and 141 lb), averaging 42 kg (93 lb).

It is the second heaviest cat in the Western Hemisphere, after the jaguar.

Although large, the cougar is most closely related to smaller felines and is closer genetically to the domestic cat than to true lions.

It is what they call a stalk-and-ambush predator and the cougar pursues a variety of prey.

Cougars have large paws and proportionally the largest hind legs in the cat family. This physique allows it great leaping and short-sprint ability.

It has an exceptional vertical leap of 5.4-m (18-ft and horizontal has a jumping capability from standing position anywhere from 6 to 12 m (20 to 40 ft).

The cougar can run as fast as 55 to 72 km/h (35 to 45 mi/h), but is best adapted for short, powerful sprints rather than long chases.

It is adept at climbing, which allows it to evade canine competitors. The cougar ccan swim but does not really like water, like the tiger.

Because of excessive hunting following the European colonization of the Americas and the continuing human development of cougar habitat, populations have dropped in most parts of its historical range.

The cougar holds the Guinness record for the animal with the highest number of names, presumably due to its wide distribution across North and South America. It has over 40 names in English alone. (puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther, mountain screamer and painter just to name a few.

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Fl, where I took these pics, is a licensed rescue facility and has 41 cats at the present time.

They have been in the rescue business for 27 years but have only been open to the pubic (weekends and special events only) for 10 years.

They have Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, two coatimundis and
two arctic foxes. all were either donated or confiscated by the government.

They are not a zoo nor do they breed the animals. When an animal comes to their 10 acre facility it will be there for the rest of its natural life.

These Siberian tiger cubs are about 11 wks old.

They are just starting to get weaned off the bottle and are learning to take care of bodily functions on their own (up to this time they have needed a certain kind of simulation in order to induced them to do both. In the wild the mother takes care of this little bit of encouragement, until they are about this age, at which time they become "self motivated". If they are too young when "rescued" the staff needs to act for mama.

These youngsters were taken away from an unlicenced private party by authorities.

As I said, Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Fl, where I took these pics, is a licensed rescue facility and has 41 cats at the present time.

They have been in the rescue business for 27 years but have only been open to the pubic (weekends and special events only) for 10 years.

They have Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, two coatimundis and
two arctic foxes. all were either donated or confiscated by the government.

They are not a zoo nor do they breed the animals. When an animal comes to their 10 acre facility it will be there for the rest of its natural life.

They are funded through grants and private donations and receive no tax-payer's dollars.

If you are interested in donating go to their web site (I have not affiation with with them what-so-ever in case you were wondering).

This Siberian tiger cub is about 11 wks old.

She is just starting to get weaned off the bottle and is learning to take care of bodily functions on her own (up to this time she has needed a certain kind of simulation in order to induced them to do both. In the wild the mother takes care of this little bit of encouragement, until cubs are about this age, at which time they become "self motivated". If they are too young when "rescued" the staff needs to act for mama.

This youngster was taken away from an unlicenced private party by authorities.

As I said, Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary in Jacksonville, Fl, where I took these pics, is a licensed rescue facility and has 41 cats at the present time.

They have been in the rescue business for 27 years but have only been open to the pubic (weekends and special events only) for 10 years.

They have Siberian tigers, lions, cougars, spotted and black leopards, a serval, two coatimundis and
two arctic foxes. all were either donated or confiscated by the government.

They are not a zoo nor do they breed the animals. When an animal comes to their 10 acre facility it will be there for the rest of its natural life.

They are funded through grants and private donations and receive no tax-payer's dollars.

If you are interested in donating go to their web site (I have not affiation with with them what-so-ever in case you were wondering).