Although not related to Y2K in any way some of you may find this subject an interesting diversion. Last night my better half and I were sitting at the kitchen table talking as we usually do each night when the cyotes became especially active out back. They even got as close as the pasture fence a few yards behind the house. Pretty brave as we have a rottie which we turn loose at night.

Yesterday my wife had been talking to a friend whose mother lived on a two hundred acre farm near us. This friend brought her mothers farm and moved her mother into a new modular on her thirty five acres just a few yards from her house. It seems that while staying at her mothers place the sound of a panther screaming in the night caused her to have concern for her mothers safty. She was concerned that her mother might go outside at night to do something and have a chance meeting with the panther.

The thirty five acres is in an area of mostly open fields whereas the two hundred acres near us is near a een or heard a cougar in the wild although am sure I have been observed by cougars.

My understanding is that cougars are not black except for a variety found in the swamps of Florida. We live in the midwest on the edge of the Osark reqion. Has anyone had an experience with a panther, black as opposed to cougars which are light brown? Folklore or is there a basis of fact?

-- Ed (ed@lizzardranch.com), October 26, 1999

Answers

Yep! There are black panthers in the south west. Not many, but they are there. The Mexican Jaguar some times comes up into the southern part of Arizona also. I can remember a particularly startling occurance in the Dragoon mts some years back (that was when I became aware that there are sotted cats out there to LOL)( and bigger than the cougers to). And was / is the reason why I carry a .41 magnum hand gun when out prospecting since then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), October 26, 1999.

Shakey

As of the 1960's the largest known jaguar killed was believe it or not near Show Low, Arizona. Growing up I spent a lot of time in the Skull mesa area north of Carefree, Arizona. Also a lot of time in the rim area.

My understanding is that a black panther would simply be a varity of the common cougar. I was unaware that they existed outside of Florida although I do believe they are referenced in early American literature.

What does this all have to do with Y2K. Cougars do not have a Y2K problem I guess.

-- Ed (ed@lizzardranch.com), October 26, 1999.

Panthers can be light brown or tan, too.

-- (normally@ease.notnow), October 26, 1999.

Quick! Somebody check those embedded chips in the panthers!

-- X (X@X.com), October 26, 1999.

The Florida panther was still seen in the Florida panhandle in the 40s. I moved there in 1959, and have heard no reports of sightings since.

-- Tom (writertag@yahoo.com), October 26, 1999.

This might be something else entirely. Unusual 'panthers', invariably black, have been seen on and off in the midwest for many, many years. There have been 'flaps' of sightings of these large, long-tailed cats since the 1920's. Much like Bigfoot, no one ever seems to obtain any physical proof, apart from pawprints and the like. A search on the Fortean side of the web should turn up something on this.

-- PKM (.@...), October 26, 1999.

Just a note.. you may already know this. Coyotes will lure domestic dogs away (female in heat etc.) and kill them. I've seen it happen a few times.

-- Will (sibola@hotmail.com), October 27, 1999.