Black panthers are not a separate species of animal. They are leopards or jaguars with a genetic condition that turns their fur black.

Melanism is caused by a change in the genes that control hair color. In leopards, a cub must inherit a specific recessive gene from both parents to be black. This gene causes the body to create a large amount of eumelanin. This is the same pigment that makes human hair dark.About 11% of leopards worldwide have this dark fur. In the Malay Peninsula, nearly 50% of leopards are black. Dark fur helps these cats hide in the shadows of thick rainforests. Scientists call this an adaptive trait because it helps the animal survive and hunt in its environment.The spots on a black panther are called ghost rosettes. The dark pigment around them makes them hard to see with the human eye. Researchers use infrared cameras to see through the dark color. This allows scientists like Dr. Laurie Hedges to identify and count individual leopards in the wild. Infrared light makes the hidden patterns stand out clearly on camera.