First of all, the term panther refers to a subfamily of large cats. This is why you will often encounter Panther in their Latin names, such as Panthera Onca for Jaguar, Panthera Pardus for Leopard, Panthera Leo for Lion, and Panthera Tigris for Tiger.
Anyway, nowadays, the term panther refers to a Jaguar, Leopard, or Puma.
This name confusion caused Jaguar and Leopard to have Melanistic features or excessive black pigment known as the Black Panther. They still have their rosette pattern, only less visible due to the dark coating. Equally, the term White Panther also refers to both Jaguar and Leopard with a very pale coating. However, Puma is the only one that hasn’t been known to have any of this trait.
How Much Does A Panther Weigh?
The average weight of a panther is between 60 to 250 pounds depending on age and gender.
The largest jaguar ever recorded was a male that weighed 149 kilograms, more than 300 pounds!
How Much Does A Black Panther Weigh?
A black panther is the melanistic color variant of the leopard and the jaguar. The average weight of a black panther is between 6- to 250 pounds (27 to 113 kg).
How Much Does A Florida Panther Weigh?
Fewer than 100 Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are estimated to live in the wilds of South Florida today.
Today, just about 100 Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) are thought to exist in the wilds of South Florida. Florida panthers can weigh between 100 to 160 pounds. A female weigh from 65 to 100 pounds (29 to 45 kg), while the male can reach between 106 to 148 lbs (48 to 67 kg)
Different Panther, Different Sizes
Sharing the same genus means the large cat share similar characteristics. Most people are often confused Leopard with Jaguar due to the similar rosette patterns on their coats. Anyhow, they are very different, and you can learn to spot the differences.
An adult male Jaguar weighs 123-212 pounds, with some rare cases of a male Jaguar weighs 350 pounds. But since it’s a sexually dimorphic animal, the female is smaller by 10-20%, weighing on an average of 80-160 pounds. It’s a stark difference since a newborn Jaguar cub weighs only 1.5-2 pounds at birth.
Leopard is also a sexually dimorphic animal, with the male being larger than the female. An adult male Leopard weighs around 80-200 pounds, with the female weigh ranging at 60-130 pounds. At birth, a newborn Leopard weighs less than 2 pounds.
You can tell it’s a Jaguar instead of a Leopard from the habitat and body size. A Jaguar is taller and much bulkier, while a Leopard is leaner and more muscular. Jaguar also spread across the central and South American continent, as Leopard is spread across Africa and Asia. Leopard also has several subspecies depending on the native region, with the African Leopard being the most known among them all.
Puma, also known as Cougar, is a large cat native to the American content. Its habitat covers the whole continent. This is because they have high adaptability to the region change. They can live in the forest area, lowland, and even steep canyons.
Compared to the other Panthers, Puma is distinctive due to only have a single coat color. An adult male Puma weighs 117-220 pounds, with the adult female is at 65-150 pounds. It is suggested that Puma that lives close to the equator is leaner than those that live near the poles. A puma cub weighs only a little over 1 pound at birth. They are also born with spots and rings that will fade gradually into their adult coat color.
Now that you know the differences between each cat, you can be more specific when you mention a panther. Whether it’s a Leopard, Jaguar, or even a Puma, each animal deserves to be called with their names.
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