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© Copyright 2001, Jim Loy
What is a panther? One of the big cats, right? Not exactly, it turns out that a panther can be any of several big cats: a leopard, a jaguar, or a puma. The famous black panther is usually a black leopard; the black color is caused by a non-transferable mutation, and if you look closely you will see that this black cat has spots. Technically, tigers, lions, leopards, and jaguars are all members of the genus Panthera.
In a classic Smothers Brothers routine, Dick deflates Tom by telling him that there are no pumas in North America. He was probably pulling his brother's leg. Actually pumas are found only in North and South America. A puma is also called a cougar or a mountain lion.