Cougars

[Lallans]

Noon hour news today states that a large BLACK cougar was spotted nearby my usual stomping grounds- seen by several witnesses and while in the process of "capturing a large rodent."

A black cougar? Is that a known colour variation or are we getting a little silly here? And the fact that the witnesses couldn't even identify the rodent victim makes me wonder if it wasn't a black labrador retreiver, if a mouse a black house cat, or perhaps it was even a free pet panther someone got tired of/eaten by.

[BoldHighlander]

Noon hour news today states that a large BLACK cougar was spotted nearby my usual stomping grounds- seen by several witnesses and while in the process of "capturing a large rodent."

A black cougar? Is that a known colour variation or are we getting a little silly here? And the fact that the witnesses couldn't even identify the rodent victim makes me wonder if it wasn't a black labrador retreiver, if a mouse a black house cat, or perhaps it was even a free pet panther someone got tired of/eaten by.

They are very rare, though from what I've heard they are not truly black. However here is an interesting website that discusses them: http://www.michigancougar.com/black.htm.

Make's me wonder, however, if it is a big cat, if it isn't an escaped exotic pet (leopard?). I have an Animals X episode on video that talks about the Big Cats of Exmoor (England), and the sightings of big black cats on the moors. There was speculation that it could be an escaped leopard, though they mentioned that if it were escaped cougars, and the breeding population was rather small, that a regressive black gene could surface & produce "black" off-spring. So, I guess it is possible.

[BoldHighlander]

I have an Animals X episode on video that talks about the Big Cats of Exmoor (England), and the sightings of big black cats on the moors.

Just as an aside:

Beast of Exmoor
The Beast of Exmoor is a cryptozoological cat (see phantom cat) that is reported to roam Exmoor. There have been numerous reports of eyewitness sightings, however the official Exmoor National Park website lists the beast under "Traditions, Folklore and Legends",[49] and the BBC calls it "the famous-yet-elusive beast of Exmoor. Allegedly."[50] Sightings were first reported in the 1970s, although it became notorious in 1983, when a South Molton farmer claimed to have lost over 100 sheep in the space of three months, all of them apparently killed by violent throat injuries. Descriptions of its colouration range from black to tan or dark grey. It is possibly a cougar or black leopard which was released after a law was passed in 1976 making it illegal for them to be kept in captivity outside zoos. In 2006, the British Big Cats Society reported that a skull found by a Devon farmer was that of a Puma, however, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) states, "Based on the evidence, Defra does not believe that there are big cats living in the wild in England."[51]

More on the subject at:
British Big Cats - British Big Cats Society, Prove and Protect, Big Cat Sightings, Official Website