How dangerous can Black Panthers and Coyotes be?

Question

I was face to face with a panther and a coyote this weekend, but I have no idea how dangerous can each be. I was about 25 meters from the panther, in the middle of nowhere, and I was across the river from the coyote, but he was watching me closely, like if he was planning an attack on me, so I retrieved slowly, till it could not see me, then I started running fast. How much risk was I in?

Answer 1

panthers will tear out your jugular vein for the fun of it. coyotes will run away.

Answer 2

I had a coyote share the trail with me one time.  It didn't scare me because I could tell from the body language it was threatening me.  He made a cool picture.

http://www.bigfootforums.com/uploads//po...

I also walked on a trail in Southern California a few hours after a mountain lion killed and partial ate some biker I knew.  He attacked a woman on a bike after I went by.  They rarely attack but I don't think, even at 190 lbs, kung fu background, and a walking stick, that I would have much of a chance if it attacked me.  That one was 120 lbs so it was a large lion.

Answer 3

Sorry to disappoint you, but you were in NO risk by either one of them.

Mountain Lions, or what you're calling a Panther, will not bother humans as a general rule.  The ones you've been reading about that have hurt some people, have done so for one of two reasons ONLY.  And, both these reasons are ultimately the fault of man and his interference with nature and wildlife.  One, is that the lions normal prey has been hunted and killed off by local hunters, and therefore has left the cat with no choice but to seek food like domestic dogs and cats.  

The other reason, is that because humans breed like mice with no regard for what their increasing population is doing to the wildlife and the earth's natural resources, they are spreading out into areas previously inhabited by the Mountain Lions and other wildlife and building homes right on top of their territories.  Each Mountain Lion has to have a certain amount of land for it to roam and hunt on.  When this land is "pinched off" by human encroachment, they have no other choice but to cross into these areas.  What are they going to do?

Coyotes are in the same dilemma.  A Coyote would never attack a human, unless it is sick or something.  Coyotes only pose threats to human pets as I've already said about Mountain Lions.

Both these animals are wonderful creatures and a blessing to our planet.  If left alone, they will help keep everything in balance and maintain the health of our planet.  We MUST learn to live "with", not against, nature and all the wild animals that inhabit this wonderful world of ours.

Answer 4

DENVER -- A Bolivian-born jaguar named Jorge that killed a Capital High School graduate working as a zookeeper in Colorado was well-behaved as a young cat. But he had a twin brother who was so mean, his handlers named him Osama, a Bolivian zoo official said Monday ....... so yes the jaguar can kill you

coyote will end up running

Answer 5

A black panther isn't a species in its own right, it's just a melanistic leopard - that is, a leopard with an excess of the dark pigment melanin, resulting in an almost totally black coat (the markings will still show up against the background in certain lights). Since leopards are found in Africa and Asia, and coyotes in North America, you must have done a lot of travelling that weekend! Are you perhaps confusing black panther with Florida panther? The Florida panther is a subspecies of puma (also called cougar or mountain lion).

Leopards are the big cats which most often attack humans, perhaps because they are so adaptable and have such a large range that they often come into conflict with people. This is still a rare occurance, however. Pumas are far less likely to attack people, though conflicts seem to be happening more often as humans encroach on the puma's habitat. You are very unlikely to be attacked unless you deliberately threaten the animal or its young.

For a coyote to attack an adult human is almost unheard of. We are much bigger than they are and can easily chase them off, if indeed they seemed aggressive in the first place, which is unlikely.

I would say you were not at great risk in either of your encounters.

Answer 6

Panther, as in a mountain lion/cougar, or "black panther" as in a black (melanistic) jaguar?  Either way, they can both be dangerous especially if they feel cornered; they are the 2 largest native feline species in North America,

However, I'm guessing you encountered a mountain lion (did it have a really long tail?), as jaguars barely enter into the southern U.S.  They can be dangerous, but most will try to get away or remain unseen.  If you encounter one again, try to look as big as you can (spread your arms out), & if kids are nearby, put them on your shoulders to make you look even bigger. Never take your eyes off of them (though w/ some animals, that would be a challenge & could provoke a attack) & back away slowly.  Running only triggers the hunting instinct.

The coyote was probably less of a threat, both due to the distance between you & if you are an adult or teenager who's close to your adult size.  Coyotes are a bit more of a threat to small children & pets, just because they're smaller.  The coyote was probably more afraid of you, than you of it, so it was probably watching you (warily) to see if you were dangerous to it.