STORY and PHOTOS by ZITA QUENTIN
with addtional photos as noted by
Ranjan Ramchandani and Adrian Dockerty
“My fascination with black cats started very early in my childhood, maybe because my mother had a beautiful black cat when I was
very young.“
First, I fell in love with the domestic ones and then, with the wild ones. Cultures around the world have viewed black cats in different ways through history. In medieval Europe, for example, black cats were associated with witchcraft, and they were considered to bring bad luck. I grew up in Hungary where we had similar superstitions, for example, that a black cat crossing the road in front of you would bring bad luck. On the other hand, black cats are supposed to bring good luck, prosperity and good health in countries such as England, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Italy, Thailand (just to mention a few). I have to say that some of the luckiest days of my life were when I had an encounter with a black cat: a domestic or a wild one.
BLACK PANTHERS
The most well-known melanistic cats, also frequently called by the popular name ‘black panther’, are leopards and jaguars. I would like to emphasize that these melanistic cats are the same species as their lighter colored relatives! In Latin America the term is most often used to mean a jaguar, elsewhere, it refers to the leopard. In North America it is also used to refer to pumas, however, it is a misconception that there are ‘black pumas’. There have been no authenticated sightings of ‘black pumas’ even though there were reports from some parts of the US in the past. There is wide consensus amongst biologists that these reports are due to mistaken species identification by non-feline experts. Some cats that could be mistaken for pumas are jaguars, jaguarundi or even a bobcat.
THE DEFINITION OF MELANISM
Melanism in wild cat species is a genetic condition characterized by an increased development of the dark-colored pigment melanin in the skin and fur. Dr. Byron Weckworth, the Panthera’s Director of Conservation Genetics explains:
“Even though these cats have excess black pigments, their typical rosettes are also present and can be seen under certain lighting conditions. This indicates that there are different molecular mechanisms that code for melanism vs. coat patterns in cats. This means a leopard or jaguar never really loses its spots, they’re simply more difficult to discern underneath their darker coloring.”
MELANISTIC CAT SPECIES
It is not just the two high profile big cat species with melanism: there are about 15 species of wild cats that can exhibit melanism, including the following: jaguars, leopards, servals, Geoffroy’s cats, oncillas (northern tiger cat), Pampas cats, African golden cats, marbled cats, bobcats, guiñas (also called kodkod), southern tiger cats, margays, jungle cats and Asian golden cats, jaguarundis.
HOW IS MELANISM INHERITED?
In jaguars the gene causing melanism is dominant, so if a cub inherits the melanistic gene from either parent, it will be black. In leopards the gene is recessive, so a cub must inherit the gene from both parents to be black. A leopard that does not have the recessive gene can never have a black cub, even if it mates with a black leopard. Another nuance is that a pair of spotty jaguars can never have a black cub, but two spotty leopards, both with the recessive gene, have a twenty-five percent chance of having a black cub. Reference: Will Burrard Lucas: The Black Leopard
There is an interesting question to think about: can melanistic cats be half and half – can they have an incomplete expression of melanism? Let’s delve into the scientific explanation. Dr. Byron Weckworth, Panthera’s Director of Conservation Genetics explains that it is not possible. “As we currently understand it, a cat will only express one of these three combinations and not a mixture that allows them to be half or partly melanistic.”
In the case of leopards, two genotypes (organism’s full hereditary information) (“AA” and “Aa”) express the dominant phenotype (organism’s observed properties) of normal coloring while the “aa” genotype expresses the recessive phenotype of black coloring. Jaguars, on the other hand, experience melanism due to the dominant allele of a gene. However, this dominance does not increase the frequency of black jaguars observed in the wild. It’s believed that melanism in both jaguars and leopards is thought to be expressed in 10% of each population.
WHY DID MELANISM EVOLVE IN CATS?
Melanism, the evolution of a dark or black coat color in cats, is thought to have evolved due to a combination of factors, including camouflage, thermoregulation, and potentially even protection from certain diseases. While the exact reasons can vary between species and even populations, these are the primary drivers believed to be at play. So what are the advantages of melanism? Camouflage in dark environments such as in dense forests, a black coat might help a wild cat remain hidden from both predators and prey. Improved thermoregulation: Some studies suggest that melanistic individuals may retain heat more effectively, which could be advantageous in colder conditions. Disease resistance: Melanistic jaguars have been found to have greater resistance to certain diseases, though this has not been confirmed in other cat species. What could be the disadvantages of having a black coat? Reduced camouflage in open habitats: In bright, arid environments as an example. Also, overheating might be a risk since the darker coats absorb more heat, which could be a disadvantage in hot climates.
First Sightings of Melanistic Cats Around the World
The first historical sightings of melanistic cats date back to the beginning of the 19th century for jaguars, end of the 19th century for servals and the beginning of the 20th century for leopards.
Jaguars In 1801, Félix de Azara described a black jaguar observed by local people near the Paraná River in Paraguay. In 2004, a female black jaguar was recorded in Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. In 2009, a black jaguar was photographed by a camera trap for the first time in Costa Rica's Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve (Wiki)
Leopards Only one African black leopard occurrence had been scientifically documented: a single record from Addis Ababa in 1909. More than a hundred years later the San Diego Zoo Global Researchers captured footage of a black leopard in Laikipia County in early 2018 and published their research in late January 2019, in the African Journal of Ecology.
Servals The first documented melanistic serval was recorded in 1898 in Angola’s Miombo woodlands, and recent surveys found 10.5% of servals were melanistic. While melanism is well-documented in big cats like leopards, its occurrence in servals has traditionally been linked to high-altitude environments, above 2,000 meters, such as Kenya’s Aberdares, Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro area or the Ethiopian Highlands. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust provides some interesting information what some earlier studies found in the Aberdares ranges: “one study showed that twenty-one servals were identified, and of those, eight were completely black, with a further five showing varying degrees of melanism (Sunquist & Sunquist, 2002). These same findings have been noted by other authors in the past (Angwin, 1975) and anecdotal evidence suggests that sightings of melanistic servals in the ericaceous zones are frequent, including by the authors.” What I find interesting is that the observers mentioned ‘varying degrees of melanism’. Is that possible for servals? How is melanism inherited in serval cats?
Melanism in servals is primarily understood to be a recessive trait – just like with leopards – meaning that for a serval to have a black coat, it must inherit the melanistic gene from both parents. Spotted servals can carry a copy of the dominant gene for the spotted coat and a copy of the recessive melanistic gene. If two spotted servals carry the gene for melanism, they have a 25% chance of having a melanistic kitten. While this recessive mode of inheritance is the most widely accepted explanation, some information suggests the possibility of a dominant variation of the Extension gene causing melanism in servals, but this is not confirmed.
There are a lot of unknowns surrounding melanistic servals. Recent research by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Works has revealed a surprisingly high frequency of melanistic servals in Tsavo—an environment that defies previous expectations since it is not like the previously mentioned highlands: Tsavo’s elevation range is between 500 to 1,200 meters and it is a mostly dryland ecosystem: “melanistic servals are relatively common in many areas of Tsavo, with observations from both ground-based teams and aerial sightings over the period of 2011- 2016, making up 47% of all serval sightings by the research teams.”
So why are so many black servals appearing in a dry, open landscape?
There are two potential reasons described by the researchers. One could be that melanistic individuals are simply more noticeable – especially in arial surveys - and therefore reported more frequently. However, the consensus is that this cannot be the only reason for the results. Another theory is described by the Tsavo Trust is as follows: “it might be due to genetic drift—a random fluctuation in gene frequencies. If an early serval population in Tsavo carried the melanistic gene, it could have spread over generations, leading to a higher-than-usual number of black servals in the region.” I wholeheartedly agree with the Tsavo Trust: “while the exact reasons for this phenomenon remain unknown, Tsavo’s black servals serve as a reminder that nature is full of surprises—often challenging what we think we know about wildlife.” One day on a trip to Tsavo, I would love to encounter one or more of their mysterious melanistic servals!
My First Black Leopard Sighting
A Little History Michelle and I met in Spain while we were on a tour to photograph the Iberian Lynx five years ago. We had plenty of time to talk about cats and cat trips so Michelle mentioned that she had a trip planned to go to see the black leopard in Kabini, India. I was very interested in such a trip as well but I had no plans yet, and shortly after our lynx trip, COVID happened so there was no travel whatsoever for a while.
In the fall of 2022, I noticed some social media posts with photos and videos of a black leopard recorded in Kenya and these were not camera trap captures at night. Some lucky safari goers saw the black leopard during the day! I reached out to one of the creators (Legend Safaris) and asked some questions about the sightings. A couple of months later they asked me if I was interested in a tour to see the black leopard. I said ‘yes’ with no hesitation and called Michelle about this trip who also said ‘yes’ to the adventure. Of course, there were no guarantees that we could see this unique cat on our four day trip but it was absolutely worth taking the risk.
Finally, the day arrived in early February, 2023 and our small group headed up to Laikipia on the adventure to try to see the black leopard: Giza. She was a young leopard who stayed in her mother’s territory back then. By the way, Giza’s mother is a spotted leopard - not a melanistic one. I don’t believe that there is a definitive answer as far as her father is concerned. If it was another spotted leopard, he must have been carrying the recessive gene. Or perhaps, it was a black leopard.
We settled into our camp and shortly after that it was time to go out on our first evening drive. The excitement was off the charts – just thinking that we could see the black leopard that evening. And we did! We couldn’t believe our eyes: there she was. It was a moment that I wanted to capture so badly yet I totally forgot even how to operate my camera! We were just gasping for and had tears of joy during the very first sighting. She was beautiful and elegant. Our wonderful guides spotted Giza after dark while she was hunting. She was a great hunter and her dark coat gave her a huge advantage at night. We watched her move around the bushes without making any noise or being visible to the prey. She successfully hunted a dik dik close to our vehicle that night. It was an epic experience to see a young black leopard do what she does best.
Let’s fast-forward a year and a half. Giza had her very first litter at the end of 2024 and she had two spotted cubs! We can conclude that the father of the cubs must have been a spotted leopard since the cubs are spotted.
The Black Serval Sighting
Before The Lucky Day I have visited the Eastern Serengeti in the past and our guides mentioned that there was a melanistic serval that showed up in the area once in a while. However, no one could recall a sighting of this rare cat for months and months. I also knew that some lucky visitors caught a glimpse of a melanistic serval in Amboseli and Tsavo in the past.
I had a trip planned for this year to visit the Eastern Serengeti to photograph big cats and Amboseli to capture some of the legendary big tuskers, with Federico Veronesi Photography. A couple of weeks before my trip, I saw a social media post with a picture of a black serval in Amboseli. Sometimes, people post about sightings that happened a long time, however, this really was a relatively recent sighting that was observed earlier this year. This was exciting news and I started to dream about seeing this cat.
On The Way to Amboseli While we were riding to our camp in Amboseli, I just had to ask our extremely experienced guide if he had seen the black serval before – and he said he had! He also confirmed that there was a sighting a couple of months ago. However, the odds were against me to see one with the frequency of documented sightings.
The Lucky Day This was our last day of the entire trip: one more morning safari and then we were heading to the air strip to fly back to Nairobi. We were enjoying a wonderful sighting with an elephant family first thing in the morning. After wrapping up with the elephants, we were driving along the road looking for more elephants, perhaps some big tuskers to photograph. Our guide stopped a couple of times and talked to the other guides – it is always good to exchange information. We kept on driving for a while and then we stopped for a minute to take a phone call. When I asked our guide if we got some good news about a potential sighting, he said that another vehicle spotted the black serval! You cannot even imagine my excitement in that moment! And then it occurred to me: is it even feasible to get to the place where the serval was spotted. Is it close enough to make it before the cat disappears?? It turned out that the serval sighting was right around the area where we were photographing the elephant family, just about five minutes away. Now, we just needed to find out if everybody in our group was on board to try to go and find the black serval, instead of photographing elephants! Luckily, no one objected to the idea.
When we arrived at the area where the serval was seen we had to spend some time to find it. When she was lying down in the tall grass we could only see a little black of her ears from certain angles. She was a relaxed serval and she sat up after a while and looked around. She was definitely interested in food and started to walk around listening to sounds of the rodents. She even showed us a couple of jumps! I could not see her with a catch but she took some time after the jumps in the grass where she completely disappeared so she could have been eating. Overall, we were fortunate enough to spend quite a bit of time with this stunning black serval and the sighting wasn’t just a brief encounter or a quick glimpse. After she walked far away from us the sighting was over and we moved on to take a break for breakfast. I had to keep pinching myself to make sure this wasn’t just a dream – and I really just saw a black serval.
Photographing Black Cats Can Be Challenging It is not easy to photograph black cats! The color black absorbs light, making it tough for auto-exposure to work properly so we have to compensate for that. Additionally, when there are not enough details in our subject, auto-focus can struggle to grab focus, especially in low light. Black or other very dark-toned subjects inherently offer less contrast than brighter subjects, making it difficult for the autofocus to "lock on". To improve the results, using the center autofocus points might help. Manual focus could work as long as we have a stationary subject like a sleeping cat, however, it would be tough to manually focus on a cat that’s on the move.
Odds are that our camera’s autofocus system would want to focus on anything but the dark cat! It was very difficult for me to lock the focus on, unless I could find the cat’s eye which provided the most contrast. It was somewhat easier with the black leopard than the black serval. Not to mention the serval was in tall grass and somehow it was easier to focus on a light colored leaf of grass than the cat.
I am a Canon shooter and my current go-to camera is the R5, however, at the time of my first black leopard sighting, I was shooting with my old DSLR, the 5D IV. I had my 400 mm f/2.8 and the 70-200 f/2.8 lenses set up on two different DSLR bodies. In either scenario, I was using a single focus point to lock on the subject. I did well as long as the leopard’s eyes were open even in low light conditions. I was using my R5 to photograph the black serval and I was using a single focus point. I did not find eye detection very useful when the dark colored cat was surrounded by tall, yellow grass.
Fascinating Facts About The Serval Cat’s Hearing
Serval cats possess exceptional hearing, particularly due to their large ears, which are the biggest in proportion to their body size among all cat species. If humans had ears in the same proportion, they would be dinner plate-sized! These ears act like radar dishes, allowing them to pinpoint the location of prey with remarkable accuracy, even underground. They can detect the high-pitched squeaks of rodents, birds, and insects, enabling them to hunt effectively in various environments. However, size is not everything: what really matters is what’s inside those ears. They have a super-sized ear canal, extra sensitive hair cells and more nerves connecting to the brain. This combination creates a powerhouse that puts human hearing to shame.
Servals can rotate their ears independently up to 180 degrees, allowing them to identify the location of sounds very precisely. They are able to hear rodents making noises 50 yards away!
Also, serval cates can hear ultrasonic sounds up to 60,000 Hz, which is significantly higher than the human range of up to about 20,000 Hz. They can detect anything from low rumbling sounds of predators to high-pitched sounds of the prey.
How Do Servals Stack up to other animals with big ears? Caracals also have big ears but still cannot compete with the servals who excel in overall hearing range. What if we compare them with fennec foxes that actually have the largest ears relative to body size? Servals have a more sophisticated ear structure. Bat-eared foxes also have huge, 5-inch long ears? How do they compare? Bat eared foxes can hear insects like termites and dung beetles chewing or moving beneath the surface even a foot deep!
