Is a leopard and a panther the same thing?

Question

Is a leopard and a panther the same thing?

Answer 1

Once upon a time zoologists thought that black leopards and spotted leopards were different species.  The same with cougars and black cougars, and jaguars and black  jaguars.  Since then it was discovered that the black is just a color variation of the regular color for the species.  However the term pnathe had stuck for the black cats.  But since then all three of the cats are often called panthers.  To avoid confusion the more accepted names of loepard, jaguar and cougar (or mountain lion) should be used.

Answer 2

The name "panther" refers to different large cats in different parts of the world.  

"Panther" in North America is most commonly used for the cougar, in Latin America it is most often used to mean a jaguar and elsewhere in the world it usually refers to the leopard.

Answer 3

Yes. A panther is simply 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). Some people also refer to melanistic jaguars as panthers, but this is not technically correct.

'Panther' should not be confused with 'Florida panther', which is a subspecies of puma.

Answer 4

a leopardrd and a panther are the same... its the pigmentation that is simpally changed... a panther is technically an albino leopard...

Answer 5

Panther is both another word for mountain lion and a word to describe a melanistic (black) cat such as a leopard or jaguar.

Answer 6

A leopard has spots, a panther is all black.

Answer 7

No its a jaguar and a panther that are the same

Answer 8

black leopard and a panther are the same thing.

Answer 9

yes they are panther is often referred to somthing that has black fur instead of the usual color its called a  melanistic  morph, both leopards and jaguars are reffered to as black panthers, although this is more common in in jaguars.  

it also depends on where you live cougars can be called panthers in some areas same with jaguars and leopards which can also be reffered to as panthers. for example the florida panther its jsut a cougar with a different name.