Panther

The local name casually given to a number of large members of the cat family, commonly referred to as "big cats". Often (but not always), the word "panther" is applied to a black-colored variation of a species of big cat. Here is a breakdown of locations that use the term "panther" and to what cat species it applies to:

• Leopard (black-colored variation; used almost universally)

• Jaguar (black-colored variation; used frequently)

• Puma The word "panther" as applied to pumas is most often used in the southeast United States as a reference to a rare subspecies of puma known as the Florida panther.