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Very interesting Scipio!

When you say that you could still see the rosettes, was there any cream / beige / tan colouring visible between the black? Or could you see rosette patterning against an entirely dark coat without any light colouring?

If the former is the case, then it sounds like you saw a very heavily rosetted Leopard (still unusual). However, if the latter is what you saw, then I think that definitely classifies as a "Black" Leopard....

Any of you ever visited Pretoria Zoo ?

They used to have Black Panther in the past.

We ,my SO and I were traveling north from Malalane Camp to Satara on the 3rd January 2013 on the H3, it was 10h30 in the morning and we had just had a sighting with a lot of cars and we continued our journey we were 1.5km from the Byamiti river Bridge when all of a sudden in the middle of the road was a 'Large Black Cat" crouching across the road ...... my SO stalled the car and we both with equally confused looks stared at this animal- A Large Black Cat the size of a Leopard with a smallish head and a long curled tail and pitch black marks - rosettes all over its body dashed crouching across the road into a deep ditch on the left hand side of the road, well confusion grabbing camera looking at each other "What WAS that?". we searched the bushes and trees and found nothing then we heard a Leopard calling and 20meters away we found a leopard an" ordinary leopard" which turned and disappeared into the bush I have only a picture of its retreating rump. Please help "what DID we see?"

Can you share the picture of the retreating rump bobbyleigh? Sounds very interesting

Black leopard (or rather more accurately a melanistic leapord) has never been recorded in KNP as far as I am aware. Melanism is a development of dark-colored pigment in the skin and is the opposite of albinism. There has been some rumours of such leopards in the Lydenburg area but despite serious efforts none have been found.

Melanism is however a well know occurrence and it is not impossible that such an animal could appear in KNP.

What is well known is the occurrence of what is called "king cheetahs" which is a darker than normal cheetah. It is however very scarce and there are again none currently known within KNP.

Hi Bobbyleigh.
Was the photo you took of the "normal" leopard? No photos of the black cat, no matter how bad? If its a black leopard it would be the sighting of a lifetime!
The only thing I can think of that it could be is a civet, but its a nocturnal animal and doesn't have a curly tail. Its also smaller than a leopard. So this is mystery...

Ok im dying to see this pic rump or not you've got me fascinated!

Found This link from an old post in Mammals.

I have just seen on another site that a black leopard was seen in KNP in 2010. Does not say where on the park.

gorgeous pic is this what your cat looked like?

Does sound like you may have had the experience of a lifetime in seeing a black leopard. Now all we need is some sort of photographic evidence and then maybe we can confirm the sighting, dam lucky to have 2 leopard sightings so close together

any news?? could you post a picture please would love to see it!

This would really be amazing to find out!

I see that is a 2004 article. And there has been no sightings despite the study which was launched.

I would like too see a picture

in French we call : Leopard (for normal) and Black Panther (for black one)
I saw one... few years ago in India... no picture... sorry too far away (only Tigers)