The black panther, a broad definition of some specific members of the feline family, is not a biologically scientific taxonomic concept. They are not a subspecies of leopards, but black mutants of the golden leopard (leopard) and jaguar, which are collectively referred to as "black panthers". These blackened individuals are no different from the normal morphology of the golden leopard and jaguar, except for the color of the coat. The habitat environment and living habits are the same as those of ordinary leopards, and blackened individuals can live and mate with ordinary leopards, and the offspring they produce also have a certain chance of blackening.
Although panthers are black overall, that doesn't mean they don't have the spots of the average leopard. Their spots are clearly visible when light hits their fur in a specific way; if they are far away, or when there is no direct light on them, they look like pure black animals. So far, about 13 species of cats have been recorded, but there are currently no cases of such full-body blackening in lions and tigers, although there are also "black tigers" with abnormal black stripes, but only the coat color of the stripes, not the whole body.
The production of this black variant can only be determined to be related to the melanoid corticosteroid receptor 1 (MC1R) in animals. But this protein is very large, there are many regulatory genes, upstream and downstream related proteins, genes are also many, many location changes may cause blackening. Specific to the blackening of cats, the causes are also different, such as the blackening of the golden leopard and the jaguar, which is caused by the mutation of the guinea pig gene that controls the distribution of melanin in the hair stem, while the blackening of other cats is completely unaffected by this gene. Some research experts believe that there are at least 4 different causes of blackening in felines.