NUMBER: 20100614
SPECIES: Leopard, Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758)
OTHER NAMES: Black Panther
SUBSPECIES: Sri Lankan Leopard, Panthera pardus kotiya Deraniyagala, 1956
DISTINCTIONS: Of the 4 wild cats in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan Leopard [SLL] is the only one with large, clover-leaf-shaped, distinct spots. It is also larger (>1 m) than the others (2 < 0.5 m, 1 < 1 m). SLL has a thick tail unlike the others. It also has a longer tail (>half body length vs. Gunawardena, K. 2019. Cats in Siri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Leopard, Panthera pardus kotiya Deraniyagala, 1956. Wilpattu. https://www.wilpattu.com/sri-lankan-leopard.php
<>Mayes, M. 2018. Shadow cats: The Black Panthers of North America. Anomalist Books, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
<>Nanayakkara, R. 2009. The elusive Black Leopards of Sri Lanka. The Island Online. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ranil_Nanayakkara/publication/262198073_The_Elusive_Black_Leopards_of_Sri_Lanka/links/0c9605370844355986000000.pdf
<>da Silva, L. G. 2017. Ecology and evolution of melanism in big cats: Case study with black leopards and jaguars. Chapter 6 In: A. B. Shrivastav and K. P. Singh (Eds.) Big Cats, IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.69558. Available free online: https://www.intechopen.com/books/big-cats/ecology-and-evolution-of-melanism-in-big-cats-case-study-with-black-leopards-and-jaguars
<>da Silva, L. G., K. Kawanishi, P. Henschel, A. Kittle, A. Sanei, A. Reebin, et al. 2017. Mapping black panthers: Macroecological modeling of melanism in leopards (Panthera pardus). PLoS ONE 12(4): e0170378. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170378
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2019a. One of the very few confirmed records of a “Black Panther” (Sri Lankan Leopard), Panthera pardus kotiya Deraniyagala, 1956, in Sri Lanka. Research Quality Report, iNaturalist #35949825, 22 November (open access) [444]
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2019b. A possible “Bobanther,” Bobcat, Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) X North American Panther, Puma concolor couguar Kerr, 1792, hybrid, in Lely Palms, Naples, Florida. Research Quality Report, iNaturalist #35778168, 17 November (open access) [442]
<>Williams, E. H., Jr., R. E. Waldner, and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2019. First confirmed report of a black (melanistic) Panther in North America? Research Quality Report, iNaturalist #35790675, 17 November (open access) [443]
