My family and a neighbor have all seen a "black panther " around our farm. When i finally got a look at it, it was standing where I had a good frame of reference. It was bobcat sized, black as pitch and had a very long tail. It was built like a fully grown regular house cat. We had little dogs come up missing in that time period. Black long tail is a pretty fitting description. You gave me a lot to think on.
I live next to Mosquito Lagoon in Florida not far from Cape Canaveral. Back in the late 2000’s I saw a grey panther and two kitts along the mangroves in New Smyrna Beach on Saxon Blvd.
@@thechestermoore Awesome! I’ll check it out for sure. They were Panthers. Momma was too big to be a Jaguarundi. Also, I’ve spoken to several crabbers and fishermen that work the backwaters and they also have confirmed rare sightings of the grey panthers. Possible undocumented sub species? Mistaken identity? Unknown Felidae?
Say what you will, but as for me in South Alabama l know what I saw and it ain't no house cat. A large black cat the same size as my full grown male Doberman with a tail long as it's body, just more sleek. Seen pictures folks in that surrounding area have taken over the years of both brown & black next to Big Escambia Creek. They are here, I've heard the stories growing up but never thought l would see one! No doubt in my mind
I believe it because in the late 50’s early 60’s my Dad got a kitten from a bridge tender in Jensen beach Fla .that cat everyone thought was a panther . We lived in a still wild area of Martin County Fla and one neighbor miles down the road accused our cat of bring down one of his calves . He was probably 20# also had a cry that was different than most house cats
I grew up in Mississippi. I lived in McComb, Mississippi for a while. My school mascot was the jaguar. Every one would talk about the black jaguars we had, and everyone had stories of seeing them. I remember being 7, and me and my sister heard a roar like a lion. We just knew it was one of those black jaguars. McComb is closer to Louisiana. So I think it’s interesting that Jaguars have been spotted in Louisiana. Also, if jaguars like water, it would make sense they would be near the Mississippi River. However, I think you’re spot on with the long tail theory. That’s brilliant. I think the “black panther” phenomenon is the natural evolution of the feral cat. Mississippi is a poor area with a big feral cat population. It makes sense that the biggest darkest ones would thrive in the wild. I believe people notice these long tails more, because they want to believe they are melanistic jaguars. I’m sure there have been rare instances of jaguar sitings in southeast America in the 1900s. However, I believe the majority of present day sitings are extremely large black feral cats.
It's been a number of years ago now but I'll never forget. My brother and I were driving near Bangor California one morning and having a conversation about gold and prospecting. I was driving as he rode in the passengers seat. Suddenly, mid sentence ,he broke off. What the hell, he said. What, said I. A big black cat! He exclaimed. Really big! For reference, my brother and I are quite different in many ways. He dosent give a lot of thought to the strange, mysterious or bizarre. I on the other hand have have always been interested in such things since I was a child. I was aware of the big black cat stories, but he was not. There was an immediate right hand turn off the highway so thinking fast I hit the brakes and grabbed it. That was the side he saw it on and I hoped to intersect it and get a look for myself. We never saw it again. He described what he saw as a black panther, every bit the size of one. Only a few weeks ago I was visiting him and brought the sighting up to him again. He said yeah, I don't know, I saw what I saw.
@argonaught5666 well black mountain lions do not exist, so unfortunately that isn't possible. He was mistaken, as there has never been a documented black mountain lion in history, ever. Low light conditions will play tricks on your eyes and make things appear darker than they are
A couple of years ago I saw a strange looking cougar come out of the wash beside the place I was living, and the crossing the property. I saw it from about 30' for about 75' walking slowly and cautiously. It was a large male that had no tail, none, just a large nut sack back there. I thought at first it might be a huge bobcat, but the ears were round. His coat was normal up top but rear legs mottled looking, (not spotted) and seemed somewhat longer. I only saw it for a few minutes but it was so surprising that I kept reassessing what I was looking at the whole time. I could only imagine it was a hybrid of some sort. Never saw it again.
This is something Ive wondered would be possible . There has been changes in species to adapt in their environment since the beginning of time into subspecies . Why not Cats if they have a feral population existing long enough in the wild . Most excellent presentation , Chester . This makes perfect sense ! Thanks !!!
I have one that either visits or lives on my property. I've seen it twice, with my own eyes. Honestly thought it was just a black mountain lion, no one believes me other than my husband. Which he and I both have heard this Longtail screaming, or what have you, in the woods at night. And let me just say, that alone will send an eerie chill down your spine and through your chest! I do not have trail cams up, because I know where the deer travel and what times they come thru, so I've never thought I needed one. But, yes Longtails are real and I've seen one.
The feral house cat's getting bigger theory is interesting, as I own 3 cats, two are standard house cats I got from a neighbor who had kittens, and they are pretty normal size, smaller than average if anything. The 3rd I own was a very young feral one I saved from death, and he sort of just moved in after that, and he grew and grew and he is over 25 lbs. _without_ being fat, he still falls within house cat size, you wouldn't mistake him for a big cat by any means, but he's just the biggest house cat I have ever personally seen. He is extremely protective of the property and has never lost a fight, including against a fox (which are usually very capable of killing house cats).
Hunting on land in southern Oklahoma, I've run into cougars and some really good sized bobcats. Those specimens were well larger than the ones I'm used to here in AZ. I haven't ruin into any of the big black domestic long-tails yet. I have however seen what appear to be Jaguars on game cameras in southern AZ.
I saw one in SW Roanoke county Virginia about 12 years ago. I live in a very heavily wooded area. It was dark, I heard something in my garbage cans.. thinking it was another bear I went to the kitchen window opened it and looked out. Didn’t see anything. A few minutes later I heard it again. I grabbed the flash light looked out the window again and still didn’t see anything but when it happened a third time, I went to the front of the house and turned on the motion light. I looked out the dining room window this time and tapped on the glass. I see this large black cat, (Huge) go slowly walking up my driveway. At first it was in the dark and I thought that it must be a bear but then it walked into the beam of the motion light and my jaw dropped. I said out loud.. that is a black panther. I couldn’t see its head because it was walking slightly away from me. I saw the side of it, rump and tail. The tail was very long and kind of swayed. It’s back was a little arched and it’s back legs looked just like a large cats legs.. they were muscular . I was absolutely stunned. I’ve never seen it again and it couldn’t have been anything else other than a large bodied cat. My husband said maybe it was the elusive fisher cat but there is no way. Fishers look more like large otters with longer tails this was a huge black panther looking cat. If I had to estimate its weight, I would safely bet 80 lbs. It walked so calmly and smoothly. It was longer than it was tall and the tail was very long. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
My friend had a house cat that he found as a kitten and kept it but this cat was 2 1/2 feet long not including tail and was 45 to 50 pounds. It had to have some kind of wild cat in it.
Ok so now i will add my 2 cents in. I have rescued many a domestic cat, and they are both inside and outside cats. And they have been in many colors. But over the years, there seem to be more black cats born, and its mostly the black cats that are able to survive. I live in a mini, old growth forest. I have pictures of one feral cat who came around that could easily top 25lbs, and has a very long tail. But here is my big black cat stories... I move to East Tx. in 1992. All the old timers around here would say that there are still black bear, and black panthers on the Trinity and Neches River bottoms. We used to live approximately 10 miles from the Trinity River. Our neighbor, recounted the the time they sae a big black cat stroll across their back pasture, from the direction of the river. As they recounted their story to me and my husband, we could tell how much it effected them. People can fake pictures, but they cant fake the emotional impact, seeing something like that.
I have seen some monster size domestic cats, not fat, that hit 20 pounds and were not some exotic breed so I can imagine what dozens of generations of feral natural selection might do. Australia is a great example I have seen some big old freaks in photos from there, crazy long, tall and with huge heads.
i had a guy that worked fir me. he lived by the Buffalo River n northwest Arkansas. he worked 1st shift so he had to leave his house early. like dark early. this one morning he was ridin his motorcycle. right when he got to the bridge to cross the Buffalo, he could see something big n black laying n the middle of the road. he said" when i got to it, i could tell it was a Panther. " he said it was way to big to pick up n haul it on his bike, so he had a friend that lived bout 3 miles on down road. he stoped n woke his friend up n asked to use his truck to go get it. so he n his friend get n truck to go get it. he said no one had drove down the road since he left the Panther. when they got to it, it was gone. he knows what he saw n i trust him no dought..
Chester, id like to sit down and have a beer with you. I live in SW Missouri and i have seen quite a bit of predation on my livestock over the years. Id like to speak to someone who didn't roll their eyes when the subject comes up.
I heard on RUclips a person took in a bob cat and it gave birth to black kittens in litter.That might explain what some people are seeing.l didn't think domestic cats could get that big in wild . The only thing would they be different colours.
I respectfully disagree that "longtail" feral cats could explain all of these sightings. Having seen one myself; in a known context; if the 48" length you mentioned is an overall one that isn't even close to the size animal I saw.
@@thechestermoore Hi Chester, I didn't mean to imply that you personally claimed long-tail cats explained this phenomenon in toto; and I have no reason to doubt that such larger than normal cats do exist. I'm equally sure that people see these cats and simply overestimate their true size; which is easy to do under many circumstances. Of course there are some naysayers out there that claim those of us who've seen a Big Black Cat are mistaken and that we don't know a plain old house cat when we see one. At the end of this segment you asked for viewers thoughts on the subject matter discussed and since I'd seen one of the Big Cats myself I decided to state my feelings on "long-tails" in the comments. Your term "longtail" is new to me but I find your research very interesting. Rest assured that my comment was not an attempt to criticize you or to demean your research; only that the long-tail hypothesis couldn't explain all sightings. My great uncle would be 144 years old now and he talked to me about these Big Black Cats being seen around where he lived as a boy in the 1880s. He called them "Black Painters". The hybridization angle for some of the ferals is interesting; my having once seen a legitimate mounted specimen of an unknown animal in the possession of the well known taxidermist; Mr. Fuchs; over in Alberta Canada back in 1973. Fuchs was a consumate woodsman and master taxidermist and was past 80 when I met him but as far as I know he never identified that animal. I'm living in Northwoods Maine now and there are Cougars here; even though no one in an official position will admit to it. I'm certain that the same is true of the Big Black Cats in other areas of the country. Best Wishes
First of all if most of the sightings include Long black Tails and there bigger than a dog it's a leopard jaguars have short tails and rarely grow their tails long if the cat is muscular very muscular it's a jaguar if the face looks dog like it's a jaguar jaguars have bull dog like faces compared to leopard s having normal catlike or feline Faces if it's on a tree a high thick tree to be specific its a leopard simple
This is about the Black Panther phenomenon and people when they report seeing a black panther are often reporting, seeing a black extra large feral. There are also big cats of other colors but no one is connecting them to the panther phenomenon.
My family and a neighbor have all seen a "black panther " around our farm. When i finally got a look at it, it was standing where I had a good frame of reference. It was bobcat sized, black as pitch and had a very long tail. It was built like a fully grown regular house cat. We had little dogs come up missing in that time period. Black long tail is a pretty fitting description. You gave me a lot to think on.
So you saw a feral housecat
I live next to Mosquito Lagoon in Florida not far from Cape Canaveral. Back in the late 2000’s I saw a grey panther and two kitts along the mangroves in New Smyrna Beach on Saxon Blvd.
Gray? Very cool. That fits in the jaguarundi color patterns.Have you seen that episode of the series?
@@thechestermoore Awesome! I’ll check it out for sure. They were Panthers. Momma was too big to be a Jaguarundi. Also, I’ve spoken to several crabbers and fishermen that work the backwaters and they also have confirmed rare sightings of the grey panthers. Possible undocumented sub species? Mistaken identity? Unknown Felidae?
@leesenger3094 well grey is a normal color of mountain lions, and they live there, so that's very normal.
Say what you will, but as for me in South Alabama l know what I saw and it ain't no house cat. A large black cat the same size as my full grown male Doberman with a tail long as it's body, just more sleek. Seen pictures folks in that surrounding area have taken over the years of both brown & black next to Big Escambia Creek. They are here, I've heard the stories growing up but never thought l would see one! No doubt in my mind
Seen one in Tennessee in 1980s don't care what any one says
I believe it because in the late 50’s early 60’s my Dad got a kitten from a bridge tender in Jensen beach Fla .that cat everyone thought was a panther . We lived in a still wild area of Martin County Fla and one neighbor miles down the road accused our cat of bring down one of his calves . He was probably 20# also had a cry that was different than most house cats
Your story should have been.....we once had a cat
I saw two of this description near Occidental, north of San Francisco, 100% sure of what I saw.
You mean you saw 2 mountain lions, well they do live there, so pretty normal
@@chrisbenedict4927 if mountain lions are all black, then yes...
I grew up in Mississippi. I lived in McComb, Mississippi for a while. My school mascot was the jaguar. Every one would talk about the black jaguars we had, and everyone had stories of seeing them. I remember being 7, and me and my sister heard a roar like a lion. We just knew it was one of those black jaguars. McComb is closer to Louisiana. So I think it’s interesting that Jaguars have been spotted in Louisiana. Also, if jaguars like water, it would make sense they would be near the Mississippi River. However, I think you’re spot on with the long tail theory. That’s brilliant. I think the “black panther” phenomenon is the natural evolution of the feral cat. Mississippi is a poor area with a big feral cat population. It makes sense that the biggest darkest ones would thrive in the wild. I believe people notice these long tails more, because they want to believe they are melanistic jaguars. I’m sure there have been rare instances of jaguar sitings in southeast America in the 1900s. However, I believe the majority of present day sitings are extremely large black feral cats.
Jaguars and mountain lions don't roar, plus you were 7.
It's been a number of years ago now but I'll never forget. My brother and I were driving near Bangor California one morning and having a conversation about gold and prospecting. I was driving as he rode in the passengers seat. Suddenly, mid sentence ,he broke off. What the hell, he said. What, said I. A big black cat! He exclaimed. Really big! For reference, my brother and I are quite different in many ways. He dosent give a lot of thought to the strange, mysterious or bizarre. I on the other hand have have always been interested in such things since I was a child. I was aware of the big black cat stories, but he was not. There was an immediate right hand turn off the highway so thinking fast I hit the brakes and grabbed it. That was the side he saw it on and I hoped to intersect it and get a look for myself. We never saw it again. He described what he saw as a black panther, every bit the size of one. Only a few weeks ago I was visiting him and brought the sighting up to him again. He said yeah, I don't know, I saw what I saw.
He likely saw a mountain lion
Maybe, although he said it was coal black, which, though not unheard of, is extremely rare.
@argonaught5666 well black mountain lions do not exist, so unfortunately that isn't possible. He was mistaken, as there has never been a documented black mountain lion in history, ever. Low light conditions will play tricks on your eyes and make things appear darker than they are
@@chrisbenedict4927If you do a quick search you will find that there is indeed a black variant of cougars. Very rare.
A couple of years ago I saw a strange looking cougar come out of the wash beside the place I was living, and the crossing the property. I saw it from about 30' for about 75' walking slowly and cautiously. It was a large male that had no tail, none, just a large nut sack back there. I thought at first it might be a huge bobcat, but the ears were round. His coat was normal up top but rear legs mottled looking, (not spotted) and seemed somewhat longer. I only saw it for a few minutes but it was so surprising that I kept reassessing what I was looking at the whole time. I could only imagine it was a hybrid of some sort. Never saw it again.
Sounds like you saw a bobcat. Where do you live?
This is something Ive wondered would be possible . There has been changes in species to adapt in their environment since the beginning of time into subspecies . Why not Cats if they have a feral population existing long enough in the wild . Most excellent presentation , Chester . This makes perfect sense ! Thanks !!!
thank you! I've got some recent photos I am looking at that will be presented later.
I have one that either visits or lives on my property. I've seen it twice, with my own eyes. Honestly thought it was just a black mountain lion, no one believes me other than my husband. Which he and I both have heard this Longtail screaming, or what have you, in the woods at night. And let me just say, that alone will send an eerie chill down your spine and through your chest! I do not have trail cams up, because I know where the deer travel and what times they come thru, so I've never thought I needed one. But, yes Longtails are real and I've seen one.
I believe you...
@@dougtinsley1320i don't
The feral house cat's getting bigger theory is interesting, as I own 3 cats, two are standard house cats I got from a neighbor who had kittens, and they are pretty normal size, smaller than average if anything. The 3rd I own was a very young feral one I saved from death, and he sort of just moved in after that, and he grew and grew and he is over 25 lbs. _without_ being fat, he still falls within house cat size, you wouldn't mistake him for a big cat by any means, but he's just the biggest house cat I have ever personally seen. He is extremely protective of the property and has never lost a fight, including against a fox (which are usually very capable of killing house cats).
Hunting on land in southern Oklahoma, I've run into cougars and some really good sized bobcats. Those specimens were well larger than the ones I'm used to here in AZ.
I haven't ruin into any of the big black domestic long-tails yet.
I have however seen what appear to be Jaguars on game cameras in southern AZ.
You see some really tall, rangy Bobcats in that country. Texas too.
I saw one in SW Roanoke county Virginia about 12 years ago. I live in a very heavily wooded area. It was dark, I heard something in my garbage cans.. thinking it was another bear I went to the kitchen window opened it and looked out. Didn’t see anything. A few minutes later I heard it again. I grabbed the flash light looked out the window again and still didn’t see anything but when it happened a third time, I went to the front of the house and turned on the motion light. I looked out the dining room window this time and tapped on the glass. I see this large black cat, (Huge) go slowly walking up my driveway. At first it was in the dark and I thought that it must be a bear but then it walked into the beam of the motion light and my jaw dropped. I said out loud.. that is a black panther. I couldn’t see its head because it was walking slightly away from me. I saw the side of it, rump and tail. The tail was very long and kind of swayed. It’s back was a little arched and it’s back legs looked just like a large cats legs.. they were muscular . I was absolutely stunned. I’ve never seen it again and it couldn’t have been anything else other than a large bodied cat. My husband said maybe it was the elusive fisher cat but there is no way. Fishers look more like large otters with longer tails this was a huge black panther looking cat. If I had to estimate its weight, I would safely bet 80 lbs. It walked so calmly and smoothly. It was longer than it was tall and the tail was very long. One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
A lot does not add up here
My friend had a house cat that he found as a kitten and kept it but this cat was 2 1/2 feet long not including tail and was 45 to 50 pounds. It had to have some kind of wild cat in it.
Ok so now i will add my 2 cents in. I have rescued many a domestic cat, and they are both inside and outside cats. And they have been in many colors. But over the years, there seem to be more black cats born, and its mostly the black cats that are able to survive. I live in a mini, old growth forest. I have pictures of one feral cat who came around that could easily top 25lbs, and has a very long tail. But here is my big black cat stories... I move to East Tx. in 1992. All the old timers around here would say that there are still black bear, and black panthers on the Trinity and Neches River bottoms. We used to live approximately 10 miles from the Trinity River. Our neighbor, recounted the the time they sae a big black cat stroll across their back pasture, from the direction of the river. As they recounted their story to me and my husband, we could tell how much it effected them. People can fake pictures, but they cant fake the emotional impact, seeing something like that.
I have seen some monster size domestic cats, not fat, that hit 20 pounds and were not some exotic breed so I can imagine what dozens of generations of feral natural selection might do. Australia is a great example I have seen some big old freaks in photos from there, crazy long, tall and with huge heads.
i had a guy that worked fir me. he lived by the Buffalo River n northwest Arkansas. he worked 1st shift so he had to leave his house early. like dark early. this one morning he was ridin his motorcycle. right when he got to the bridge to cross the Buffalo, he could see something big n black laying n the middle of the road. he said" when i got to it, i could tell it was a Panther. " he said it was way to big to pick up n haul it on his bike, so he had a friend that lived bout 3 miles on down road. he stoped n woke his friend up n asked to use his truck to go get it. so he n his friend get n truck to go get it. he said no one had drove down the road since he left the Panther. when they got to it, it was gone. he knows what he saw n i trust him no dought..
Chester, id like to sit down and have a beer with you. I live in SW Missouri and i have seen quite a bit of predation on my livestock over the years. Id like to speak to someone who didn't roll their eyes when the subject comes up.
Crap, I missed part 5. I will watch after this.
The ones we have here in missouri are 2 hundered pluse lbs
😂😂😂😂 no they most certainly are not
I heard on RUclips a person took in a bob cat and it gave birth to black kittens in litter.That might explain what some people are seeing.l didn't think domestic cats could get that big in wild . The only thing would they be different colours.
I respectfully disagree that "longtail" feral cats could explain all of these sightings.
Having seen one myself; in a known context; if the 48" length you mentioned is an overall one that isn't even close to the size animal I saw.
Not at one point did I ever saw longtails explain all of these sightings. In fact, this is part of an entire series on black panther suspects.
@@thechestermoore Hi Chester, I didn't mean to imply that you personally claimed long-tail cats explained this phenomenon in toto; and I have no reason to doubt that such larger than normal cats do exist.
I'm equally sure that people see these cats and simply overestimate their true size; which is easy to do under many circumstances.
Of course there are some naysayers out there that claim those of us who've seen a Big Black Cat are mistaken and that we don't know a plain old house cat when we see one.
At the end of this segment you asked for viewers thoughts on the subject matter discussed and since I'd seen one of the Big Cats myself I decided to state my feelings on "long-tails" in the comments.
Your term "longtail" is new to me but I find your research very interesting.
Rest assured that my comment was not an attempt to criticize you or to demean your research; only that the long-tail hypothesis couldn't explain all sightings.
My great uncle would be 144 years old now and he talked to me about these Big Black Cats being seen around where he lived as a boy in the 1880s.
He called them "Black Painters".
The hybridization angle for some of the ferals is interesting; my having once seen a legitimate mounted specimen of an unknown animal in the possession of the well known taxidermist; Mr. Fuchs; over in Alberta Canada back in 1973.
Fuchs was a consumate woodsman and master taxidermist and was past 80 when I met him but as far as I know he never identified that animal.
I'm living in Northwoods Maine now and there are Cougars here; even though no one in an official position will admit to it.
I'm certain that the same is true of the Big Black Cats in other areas of the country.
Best Wishes
First of all if most of the sightings include Long black Tails and there bigger than a dog it's a leopard jaguars have short tails and rarely grow their tails long if the cat is muscular very muscular it's a jaguar if the face looks dog like it's a jaguar jaguars have bull dog like faces compared to leopard s having normal catlike or feline Faces if it's on a tree a high thick tree to be specific its a leopard simple
😂😂😂😂 what????? It's obvious you have no idea what your talking about
There tail is long as hell
If big feral why only black?
This is about the Black Panther phenomenon and people when they report seeing a black panther are often reporting, seeing a black extra large feral. There are also big cats of other colors but no one is connecting them to the panther phenomenon.
Bullshit house cats eyes don’t glow or tail like 7 ft long saw different in harts creek wv
😂😂😂 smh you obviously have no idea what your talking about
All cats eyes glow as well
Could be savannah cats either escaped and never recovered or turned loose, size is right they get quite large up to 40-50 pounds