Black panthers are not an actual species - they are jaguars and leopards with melanism, the opposite of albinism

3 years ago by tictac2 to c/mildlyinteresting

esadatari 34 points 3 years ago

also panther only refers to the fact that it’s a big cat from the pantera family if i am not mistaken: mountain lion, lion, jaguar, leopard, tiger

so the people saying “what species is the pink panther” actually have a legitimate point in saying he could be a pink lion. people saying “it’s just a panther” don’t understand what they’re actually saying. it’s like, okay what kind of panther?

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Klear 36 points 3 years ago

Here's the thing. You said a "lion is a panther"

Is it in the same genus? Yes. No one's arguing that.

As someone who is a scientist who studies lions, I am telling you, specifically, in science, no one calls lions panthers. If you want to be "specific" like you said, then you shouldn't either. They're not the same thing.

If you're saying "panther" you're referring to the taxonomic grouping of Panthera, which includes things from tigers to leopards to jaguars.

So your reasoning for calling a lion a panther is because random people "call the roaring ones panthers?" Let's get snow leopards in there, then, too.

Also, calling someone a human or an ape? It's not one or the other, that's not how taxonomy works. They're both. A panther is a panther and a member of the panthera genus. But that's not what you said. You said a lion is a panther, which is not true unless you're okay with calling all members of the panthera genus panthers, which means you'd call tigers and jaguars, and other cats panthers, too. Which you said you don't.

It's okay to just admit you're wrong, you know?

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JesusTheCarpenter 6 points 3 years ago

I am glad I can recognize a never seen before copypasta. This makes me proud.

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Norgur -8 points 3 years ago

So, before I start: I would not have said anything if you hadn't gone all "uhm actually" in a condescending tone towards someone who's just doing a silly little twist on the taxonomy thing on some inconsequential thread on the internet.

Might I point your professional attention as "scientist who studies lions" to the fact that the thread is about how "Panther" is not a real species but one of two other species with a different level of melanines in their fur? Good.
Now, would you care - in your scientific scientist way - to shift your attention to this thing you said:

They’re both. A panther is a panther and a member of the panthera genus.

My layman brain does the big confoosy-boosy! Isn't the point of the whole "useless party knowledge" type post here that panthers are, in fact, not panthers because "panthers" are not a species at all?

You said a lion is a panther,

They said that because - and this is true - "panthera" and "panther" are the same word. "Panther" is ancient Greek while "Panthera" is Latin and -depending on how your language adopted the terms- the plural of "panther". So an animal that belongs to the "Panthera" genus does belong to the "panther" genus, depending on the host language used. Since we already clarified that "panthers" are not a species at all, the only "panthers" are the members of the panthera genus. So yes, a lion is a panther. So is - to further ridicule your "sciency scientist"-attitude Panthera uncia. So yes, we have thrown the snow leopard in there, too.

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Paralda 24 points 3 years ago

Wooosh.

It's a copypasta from old Unidan reddit days

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Norgur 5 points 3 years ago

Doesn't matter, it was fun to rip it apart.

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CareHare 5 points 3 years ago

I don't know about that. I'm far from a biologist, but in Dutch a panther is just a synonym for a leopard, not the whole Pantera family. The word panther is more associated with the black pelt, but still only refering to the species of leopard.

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OldWoodFrame 23 points 3 years ago

This is wild I had no idea.

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Janis 8 points 3 years ago

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683/

so that chadwik dude plays a super hero with melanism??

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Diprount_Tomato 5 points 3 years ago

💀

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czech 13 points 3 years ago

Any news on pink panthers?

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electrogamerman 13 points 3 years ago

They are just gay jaguars and leopards 💅

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Damage 5 points 3 years ago

They are big cats who are comfortable with their sexuality and don't feel the need to conform to the standard that society sets for them

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electrogamerman 2 points 3 years ago

Kings and Queens!

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dumptruckdan 10 points 3 years ago

The panther is like a leopard,
Except it hasn't been peppered.
Should you behold a panther crouch,
Prepare to say Ouch.
Better yet, if called by a panther,
Don't anther.

(Ogden Nash)

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Osea_3 8 points 3 years ago

So is melanism in big cat species more common than albinism?

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AttackBunny 7 points 3 years ago

Literally every time I would say this, on the that other place, that I won’t name, I would get downvoted to oblivion.

Large cats (tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards only) are part of the panthera genus. Probably where the name came from, but there is no one specific animal that is a panther.

I guess the mountain is sometimes referred to as a panther, but it’s not accurate.

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benpo 5 points 3 years ago

And that's evolution, fellas! Will the Panther become a separate species? We'll find out in a million years.

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Jmr 5 points 3 years ago

they are somehow cute AND extremely menacing

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mySFWaccount 4 points 3 years ago

Also, Jaguars are from America*, and Leopards are from Africa/Middle East.

Edit: definitely not a lot of jaguars in North America!

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MarmaladeMermaid 6 points 3 years ago

Jaguars are from South America. North America has the Mountain Lion aka cougar, puma, screamer, panther or pantera concolor.

Technically not a “big cat “ but it’s the largest of the small cats, 75 - 140 pounds.

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TheGreenGolem 3 points 3 years ago

No, Jaguar is brit.

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mihnt 1 point 3 years ago

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jake_eric 5 points 3 years ago

I'd say Jaguars are mainly from South and Central America. Central America is technically part of North America, but point is they're more in the South.

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brad 2 points 3 years ago

This just blew my fucking mind

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Norgur -1 points 3 years ago

Let's mildly interest the shit out of this one: While Black Panthers aren't a species, the class of animals tigers and leopards and some other big cats belong to is called "Panther" (plural "Panthera"). So... Tigers are Panthers while black Panthers might not be.

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mihnt 1 point 3 years ago

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jake_eric 1 point 3 years ago

Why would black panthers not be?

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Norgur 1 point 3 years ago

I somehow threw Jaguars in with the lynxes which would have meant that a black panther that's acutally a Jaguar would have been a lynx. Idk what befell me there... Jaguars are Panthera, too, so my "might" is not true. Black Panthers are Panthers.

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expatriado -2 points 3 years ago

which makes black panther a bit redundant

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Diprount_Tomato 6 points 3 years ago

Did you even read the post?

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