The black panther is the name of dark-colored individuals of a number of species of large cats, which are a genetic variant of coloring - a manifestation of melanism. Black Panther is not an independent species. Most often it is a leopard or jaguar. The existence of pumas melanists is not confirmed.

Also, “panther” is a genus of large animals in the feline family, therefore the word “panther” is often applied not only to individuals with black color, but also to others, with a normal color (reddish or spotty), even white - the so-called “white panthers.