How Do Panthers Hunt?

Panther Traits

• Panthers across the globe share many common traits. All panthers have short fur, sleek bodies, and narrow almond-shaped eyes. Some panthers, like the cougar, are considered "small cats," while the black panthers of Africa are "big cats" like tigers and lions. "Small cat" panthers purr instead of roaring like their big cat cousins, but are capable of creating distinct vocalizations to show stress or displeasure. Panthers are solitary creatures that prefer nocturnal activity, though species such as the American panther will resort to daytime foraging if needed.

American Panthers

• American Panthers (Puma concolor) are called many names, including mountain lions, pumas, catamounts or cougars. They have tawny coats, sleek bodies and amazing leaping ability. Because of their capability to cover as much as 20 feet in a single leap, they make exceptional ambushing hunters. They use stealthy stalk and ambush tactics to take down prey which can vary from large animals such as deer, elk or wild boar to small prey such as hares, rodents or even insects. American panthers will avoid people and their habitats. Because they prefer to attack unseen, they tend to hunt in areas with dense low foliage.

Black Panthers (Similarities)

• Black panthers come from multiple feline species across Africa and Asia. The term is used to describe any big cat that is primarily black, due to the genetic expression of a dominant color gene. Black panthers can be leopards or a jaguars. All black panthers hunt prey varying from large mammals to small birds using stealth, primarily hunting at night. If pressed by hunger, black panthers will sometimes encroach on men's habitats and attack them or their pets. White panthers are from the same species as black ones, but express a recessive color trait instead of a dominant one.

Black Panthers (Differences)

• Of the black panthers, black leopards tend to live and hunt in locales with nearby trees as they prefer to drag their prey into arbors to keep it safe from scavengers. They are primarily found in Africa. Black jaguars, on the other hand, live in many habitats from Africa to Asia, including open plains. They are also adept swimmers who will also enter the water to hunt for aquatic prey such as frogs and fish, which they will flick onto the shore with their paws.