Black Panther Cub 22cm - Soft Toy

Physical Characteristics
The term Black Panther is commonly used for one or several kinds of closely related all-black (also known as melanistic) big cats - leopards and jaguars.

Habitat
The black panther's habitats mainly include the densely forested rainforests of Asia but have also been seen in marshland, woodlands and swamps on the African savannahs, and even mountains and deserts.

Behaviour
The black panther is a solitary animal. Other than a female and her cubs, or mating pairs in the breeding season, these animals seldom stay together. Each of them lives and hunts by itself in its scent-marked territory. Black panthers are the strongest climbers of the cat family. A black panther develops tree-climbing skills at a very early age to avoid attack from deadly enemies such as lions and hyenas. It also uses this unique skill to pull its kills or prey carcasses up into trees.

Breeding
Mating can take place at any time of the year. Female Panthers usually give birth to their first litter at about two-and-a-half years old and she bears and raises the cubs alone. The gestation period is about 90 to 105 days. The baby panthers develop tree climbing skills at a very early age to avoid enemies. However fewer than half of black panther cubs still survive at the age of one. Those who do survive become increasingly independent. By the age of two, almost all young black panthers become fully independent and have established their own home ranges.

Diet
A Black Panther's diet is made up of just about anything that moves. Medium-sized mammals make up most of their diet in the wild: Deer, warthogs, monkeys, antelopes, gazelles, wild goats. Panthers also eat birds, reptiles, hyraxes, baboons, frogs, fish, rabbits, rats and to supplement their diet they occasionally eat grass, eggs and fruit.

Strange and Interesting Facts
Because the Black Panther is so stealthy, it is often called 'the ghost of the forest'.