What is the difference between a leopard and a panther?
Our six-year-old grandson loves animals and he can't wait to go to our villa in South Africa with his mom and dad. As a small toddler who could not even speak, he already put his arms in the air to make it clear to us that he wanted to see the giraffes with the long necks again. The “bebra” (=zebra) was one of his favorite animals. Now, he is talking about the "oerang toekan“, the ring-tailed lemur and the saddle-billed stork. I have no idea where a six-year-old child learns these names. Is this the result of watching all episodes of his favorite TV series? I am just very impressed by his ability to remember these names.
Tigers in Africa
He also knows exactly which animals he wants to see in South Africa: the elephants, lions and the tigers. When we tell him that there are no tigers in Africa, because they live in another part of the world, his answer is: “Oh, what about cheetahs and leopards?" Yes, those do live there. “And panthers?“ No, sorry, no panthers either. It is all so complicated. “What is actually the difference between a leopard and a panther?" That's a very good question. I actually don't know. Let's find out.
Leopard or panther, what is the difference?
Even on the internet you can read conflicting stories. But the bottom line is that leopards and panthers do indeed belong to the same species. But they are called “leopards” in Africa and “panthers” in Asia. And there are also some differences. There are in total nine different subspecies of the panther (of which the leopard is one). And they don't look the same everywhere.
The leopards in Africa are more orange in colour and their spots are rounder. The Persian panther is more light brown in colour. And the panthers that live in cold regions in Asia, such as the Amur panther, get a thick winter coat in winter. The panther thus differs in fur, pattern, size and weight depending on the region where they live.
And what about the black panther?
Black panthers are found in both Asia and Africa. In Africa, these are actually black leopards. But the latter are extremely rare. In 2019, a black leopard was captured on photo in Kenya for the first time in a century. That is why the chance that you will encounter them during your holiday in South Africa is nil. By the way, black panthers are not just black. When the sunlight shines on the fur, you can also see their spotting pattern. They have a black coat due to "melanism", the opposite of albinism, where a gene causes an excess of skin or hair pigment, giving them a dark coat.
Then there is also the cheetah; which is also different from the leopard and other animal species. And to make it even more complicated, you also have jaguars. They live in South America. The black jaguars are often called black panthers. And the cougar? That's a story for another time.
Would you also like to go on safari in South Africa and look for leopards? We know a very nice villa to stay.