Black Panthers / Classic book 11-13-15

English: Black Panther. Photo taken at Rhino and Lion Park, Gauteng, South Africa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a photo of a black leopard from the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Camp Verde, Arizona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Black Panthers in Asia and Africa are Leopards. Black panthers in the Americas are black Jaguars.
Black panther - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Black panthers are powerful, intelligent, and exotic animals.  People are fascinated by these animals.  Many books, movies, and articles have the black panther as a subject.  Numerous American sport teams include the word “Panther” in their names.  Many commercial products are associated with the black panther.

The Black panther is a rare, fearless, powerful and intelligent animal.  It is one of the most aggressive and most feared animals in the world.  The black panther is not a distinct animal species though.  The term black panther is commonly used for one or several kinds of closely related all black big cats.

A black panther cub is usually born in the same litter along with other light-colored leopard cubs.  Typically, a leopard litter consists of two to three cubs but, sometimes, up to six.  Black panther cubs are born with their eyes closed and are covered with faintly spotted smoky gray fur.  They weigh about 450 to 1000 g (16 to 35 oz)

The mother leopard has to stay at the den all the time during the first few days after the birth to rest and nurse the newborn baby panthers.  Meanwhile cubs spend most of their time sleeping and nursing on their mother’s rich milk.  About ten days after their birth, the cubs open their glazed eyes and get their first glimpse of the world.  While the cubs still lack of mobility, the mother leopard have to leave her cubs unattended as she travels far from the birth den to find food for her family.  This is the period when the defenseless cubs are most vulnerable to predators; therefore, the choice of a site for a birth den is so crucial to the safety of baby black panther cubs.

Two to three weeks after birth, baby panthers are able to move around the den.  Mother and cubs often greet each other by rubbing faces or bodies.  When the cubs get a little older, they playfully tumble and fight whenever they get a chance.

If their mother is at home, the cubs may be allowed to stray away from home to nearby fields.  They spend most of their time hiding out nearby, crouching motionless, camouflaged amongst the bushes, trees.  If the mother has to leave home to hunt for food, the little panther cubs are not allowed to venture out of the den, no matter how hungry they are. 

Black panther cubs can follow their mother on hunting trips when they are just about two to three months old.  They begin to eat meat then.  Already they are starting to pick up hunting skills they need the most in the wildlife from their mothers.  They learn how to hide and avoid from enemies and how to stalk and catch small prey such as grasshoppers and lizards and, later, mice, rats, and so forth.  To protect themselves from predators, black panther cubs develop excellent tree-climbing skills at an early age.  The mother has to keep an eye on them all the time during this period of time."
Black Panther Animal