Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Black Panther Photographed in the Texas Hill Country?

A couple of weeks ago a reader contacted me saying that he thought his game camera might have captured a photo of a black panther. This gentleman lives out in the Hill Country and had his camera overlooking a deer feeder near his home. The reader attached two photos, one of the animal in question and one of some deer underneath the feeder. The deer photo was meant to provide some idea of scale. The original photos are below.





The animal in the photo is unquestionably a cat of some kind. In addition, the cat is black or, at the very least, an extremely dark brown. Despite the photo being snapped at night there can be no doubt about that. This is no tawny-colored mountain lion. A long, thick tail is clearly visible. This long tail effectively squelches any arguments that this is a bobcat. So, if it isn’t a cougar and it isn’t a bobcat…what is it?

As has been discussed here before, officially, black panthers do not exist. Science tells us that there is simply no such animal. It is true that other big cats occasionally exhibit melanism but they do not make their homes in North America. Leopards live in Africa and jaguars live in South and Central America. Black bobcats have occasionally been observed in North America and could account for some black panther sightings; however, once a witness describes a long tail, often almost as long as the cat’s body, the bobcat ceases to be a legitimate candidate. So, what are people seeing? What animal does this photo show?



The debate on what people are seeing and identifying as black panthers has been discussed here before. I’ll refer you to an article called “Lost Bears and Black Panthers” I posted back in August of 2009. In it, I discussed four candidates for the black panthers of Texas. Below is an excerpt from that post that discusses these four possibilites:

"So, what are people seeing? There are several possibilities, in my opinion. The first possibility is simply that cougars can sometimes be black. This is a well-documented trait in jaguars and leopards. Scientists have yet to see it in cougars but that doesn't mean it doesn't occur. The second possibility is that jaguars still roam the state. Texas was once part of the jaguar's natural range. The last known jaguar in Texas was killed in Brownwood in the 1940s. It is thought they may still haunt the state's southern border but are not thought by wildlife experts to range into central or east Texas. One more possible candidate for the black panther sightings is the jaguarundi. The jaguarundi is a relative of the cougar but much smaller. It averages between 30 and 45 inches long and can be dark in color though, it is thought, not black. A final possibility is that there is simply an undocumented species of large black cat roaming not only Texas but other areas of the country as well."



Do any of these candidates match up to what we see in the photo? Possibly. The problem is one of scale. At first glance the cat in the photo seems to be quite large but upon further inspection maybe not. I wanted an additional opinion so I sent the photo to Chester Moore. Moore is an accomplished outdoors writer and naturalist. His Cryptokeeper website was one of my favorite sites on the internet and helped inspire me to starts a site of my own. He is currently heading up a camera-trapping project called Southern Panther Search with Terri Werner of Tiger Creek Refuge and Animal Planet’s “Growing Up Tiger.” Moore’s thoughts are below:

"Mike,

Thanks so much for sending the photo.

It is hard to get perfect scale on the cat because the position of camera in the cat shot is different than the deer shot.

The deer closes to the camera looks like a yearling doe (first year) so it is not that big of a deer.

The animal in the photo is definitely a cat and it looks the closest to a jaguarundi of any known species. It is definitely not a jaguar (no spot pattern found on the coat. Messed with it in photo shop and you could pull some spots by messing with contrast and lighting and none show) or a cougar. The body position and short legs point to jaguarundi along with the dark color.

The cat looks a little fat to me which is what threw me off. Cougar and jags are both muscular but this cat is not. Jaguarundis are not a muscular cat and after reviewing a photo of a pregnant jaguarundi it looks like that might be the case. There are definitely jaguarundis in the Hill Country despite what officials say and this is the time of year many of our predators are pregnant."




I agree that the jaguarundi is a good candidate for the cat in the photo. Moore’s points are well taken. There is only one point on which I disagree with Moore and that is his opinion that the camera was not in the same location for the two provided photos. I think the overlay below shows that the camera was in the same location for both photos. Even if I’m wrong on this, the location is not significantly different and doesn’t drastically change much of anything, in my opinion.



If this is a jaguarundi it is a pretty good find. According to the Mammals of Texas – Online Edition, “Jaguarundis live in the brush country of extreme south Texas in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties – where it is rare.” They aren’t supposed to be in the Hill Country of Texas. Then again, they aren’t supposed to be in east Texas either and Moore himself says that he has seen one near Lake Sam Rayburn.

Moore is right in that the photo simply doesn’t show enough detail to be able to say definitively what this cat might be. In addition, after studying the photo and looking at about a dozen different models of feeders at a Gander Mountain store this past weekend in an effort to better judge the size of the cat, I’ve come to the conclusion that the cat in the photo is likely not large enough to be a cougar or jaguar. I realize it could be a juvenile but the dearth of any black cougar specimens and the lack of florets, or spots, on the cat in the photo (florets are almost always still visible even on melanistic jaguars), in my opinion, lends credence to my opinion. That leaves two possibilities: a jaguarundi or a domestic/feral cat.



I don’t really believe that this cat is a domestic. I think it is too big for that. I think the animal in the photo is most likely a jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi). If so, it is an exciting development. If the cat is pregnant, as Chester Moore suggested, then that is even more exciting. Not only would there be a jaguarundi where it is not supposed to be but there would be a breeding population of jaguarundis in a region where they are not officially recognized.

Please keep sending in your accounts of black panther sightings and any photos you might capture. Pieces of anecdotal evidence like this could help people like me know where to investigate and best place their cameras. This, in turn, could lead to the clear video footage or photograph that could prove these large cats do exist and roam the Lone Star State.

Again, let’s work together and get this done.

145 comments:

  1. Due to darkness it is difficult to guess. But I thought it is bobcat.

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    1. I have to strongly disagree with you there. A long tail is clearly visible, especially in the zoomed image, which would rule out a bobcat. The tail is coming back toward the camera so you don't get a long profile look at it but it is there.

      I can't tell you for sure what this cat is but I feel certain it is not a bobcat.

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    2. I mountain lions/puma/cougars do come in black...

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    3. Actually, they don't. There has never been a confirmed melanistic (black) cougar/puma/mountain lion.

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    4. I used to live in Kosse Texas back in the 80's and can verify the big black Jaguar cat. Along with my wife and my Mother we were visiting about 8 oclock one summer night my mothers dog (big Cur dog) went to growling and barking crazy so got a flashlight and opened the front door to see what was going on and when I did he ran in the house, something this dog never did. All his hair was sticking up and he was growling a deep growl. I started shining the flashlight around the yard and when I got to the back of my truck (only 25' away) I saw the biggest shiny black cat I ever saw outside a zoo. It's back was even with my bumper and it had a big round head the size of a dinner plate. My wife and mother were right beside me and both turned and went back in the house. It didn't even run so I backed back in the house but got a great look at the cat. It was definitely a lot bigger than the cougars we have up there and the head was not like any cougar I have seen. Also the tail was big and fat. My Mother said Panther. I am guessing Jaguar.

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    5. I studied Wildlife Ecology at Texas A&M (115 hrs toward degree). I was taught in Mammology that melanistic Cougars do exist. I do agree it isn't a Jag or Bob, the tail is way too long. The thoughts that it's pregnant & that it's a 'rundi, fly in the face of each other. I be more willing to believe it was a young male looking for open territory.

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    6. I studied Wildlife Ecology at Texas A&M (115 hrs toward degree). I was taught in Mammology that melanistic Cougars do exist. I do agree it isn't a Jag or Bob, the tail is way too long. The thoughts that it's pregnant & that it's a 'rundi, fly in the face of each other. I be more willing to believe it was a young male looking for open territory.

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    7. So no Cougars do no come in the black melanistic color. Jaguars and Leopards do as well as bobcats and any other spotted cats. In sunlight the black cats actually show the other lighter spots in varying shades. But in order for a cat to be melanistic it must have the spots to show through. The only black cougar is a spray painted cougar.

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  2. I do remember seeing a big black cat that was bigger than goat at 50 yards out when I was a around 25 years ago at my friends ranch near Del Rio. So I do believe there are big black cats in Texas I just couldn't tell you which kind I saw that day.

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    1. In mirando city texas 40 yrs my aunt and i spotted a black panther in a tree. Sleek and black lying in a mesquite tree. A wonder of nature i will never forget.

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    2. close to 40 years ago me and my family saw a big black cat cougar size or larger, with a long tail. It took one leap of about 15 feet into the middle of the road and another 15 feet into the woods.We live about a hour north of Houston Texas. A few years later one was spotted down the road from us.

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  3. yes there are black [cats] of some size i live in far western ky. have seen many in the river bottoms and swamps

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  4. Twice I have seen a black cat looking animal with a thick tail on my Hill Country property in Ingram, Tx near Kerrville. Initially I thought it was a cat, or maybe a squirrel. But I ruled out the squirrel because of it's cat like movements and thick long tail. However it was never seen by anyone but myself.

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  5. Up until the mid 80s there was a family of large black cats living near Thicket, Tx ( southeast Texas). I was a young child when these sightings were taking place so I do not have a clear memory of seeing one. However both my parents and grandparents as well as aunt and uncle saw the cats on numerous occasions. My father hit one with his car one evening on his way home. He did not stop because he did not have a gun in the car with him. So he went home to get a gun and then returned to where he had hit the cat. When he got there the cat was gone. The location was only about a 1/2 mile from our house. The cats would even come up close to the house. I can clearly remember the sound it makes. It sounds like a woman screaming.

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    1. I grew up in Thicket, and saw one while rabbit hunting with two of my cousins... I agree, their "scream"is hair raising! Also saw one crossing the road one evening near HoneyIsland...

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    2. I once heard a "grrrr" sound coming from a field across the street in north Texes.

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  6. I have lived in Gatesville tx for years, me and a buddy of mine spoted 1 just out side of there it freaked me the hell out.

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    1. We live in Gatesville Texas too and about1 1/2 months ago a friend and I were hiking on her heavily wooden property just outside city limits and we both saw a black cat that was about 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall. It was not a regular house cat.

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    2. I live in moody and twice now my goats have turned up dead.

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    3. yes sir -the big black cat is definitely out there

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  7. This looks to me like a jaguarundi. I have taken a rare photo of a jaguarundi in Brazos Bend State Park near Houston. It was confirmed by a TPWL employee. So yes I do believe they could have roamed in the Hill Country too

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    1. What part of the park did u see the jaguarundi????

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  8. I am a property manager at an apartment complex in Northwest Austin. Several of my residents and maintenance staff have spotted a large "black cat" similar to a jaguar in a large wooded area behind the complex.

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    1. What apartment complex? I used to live at an apartment complex on 620 and my cat went missing during the day time. I wonder if a wild cat got her.

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    2. What apartment complex? I used to live at an apartment complex on 620 and my cat went missing during the day time. I wonder if a wild cat got her.

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  9. I am a property manager at an apartment complex in Northwest Austin. Several of my residents and maintenance staff have spotted a large "black cat" similar to a jaguar in a large wooded area behind the complex.

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  10. Live in Kendall county 4 miles S. of Bergheim. Today saw a dark gray cat. Bushy tail approx 2 ft+ long. Body length looked about 4 ft or a bit more. top of back looked about or more in height of my knee. my knee with sneakers measures 22". it was walking away from me so never saw face. funny but at tails end I saw 3 or 4 black rings.Grabbed camera but battery was removed! This is 2nd time I have seen it. 1st time was just a quick glance and thought it was just a big house cat. No way!

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  11. My grandson seen a black panther. He seen him jump off a tree and screamed like a woman at him. The cat was not far from our house. He was very scared. We live south Ark.

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  12. I live in Bergheim too, and just got word today that a cougar killed two dogs in a neighborhood off of hwy 46. Animal control was called. If this things comes close to our animals, it won't live long.

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  13. I have a place off of RR-165 between Blanco and Henly,Tx in the Hill country. When leaving my north gate one evening back in Sept. I spotted a very tall all-black cat of some kind walking straight and slow across the distance of my headlights shining back into the property while I was locking the gate. Judging the distance from where I saw it walk, It appeared to be about 4-5 feet long and maybe a couple of feet or more in height. No markings and just walking straight and slow between some groups of trees. Never had seen anything like it before. Recently my neighbor had mentioned about something finding about a slain animal and that all of his goats were staying close to house. Animals are good about sensing danger from 'certain predators.

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    1. I live in Wimberley, TX. I have heard what I would describe as a womans deep throated scream,twice within two weeks. Always fairly early in the night. Sounds like a big cat to me.

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    2. My boyfriend and I live on Ellison Creek Reservoir right outside the city limits of Lone Start, Texas which is in Northeast Texas tonight about 11:00 we clearly heard what get said we're Panthers, one down by the lake at the edge of his pasture and the other one probably about 1/2 to 1 mile away up in the pine Woods. And yes it sounded like a deep throated scream. It was very eerie.

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  14. I was raised in North Eas Texas, I personaly have seen 2 mountain lions (cougar) typycal brown 6 to 7 feet long and very muscular. my mother recently moved to a peice of land that backs up to a huge river bottom. the first day here she say a b(black panther) i along with other well know hunters did not believe. well to my suprise about 11:00 am one morning she called me to the window and there he or she was big and dark black any one can dissagree with me but i know the land and i know what i saw i would say it is just a black mountain lion nothing more and deffinetly nothing less. but it has been continualy spotted since as well..

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  15. I have seen a black cat smaller than a cougar or Florida posted in black water forest in North West Florida. I heard it before I saw it and it sounded like a woman screaming.

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  16. My grandparents used to live outside of Salado, TX on a large ranch and had property that backed up to Stillhouse Hollow Lake. On several occasions while hunting with my father when I was younger we would see a very large solid black cat with a long tail across one of the coves near the bank. We also saw the prints on our side of the lake and numerous times my family members would hear the screams from some sort of cat. Not sure what it was, but my Dad always said it was a panther!!

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  17. Two years ago, I heard a cougar at night. Once you hear that "scream" you will never forget that sound. It was during deer hunting season here at my ranch 7 miles Southwest of Johnson City. TX. We were able to verify it was a cougar by our game camera that was fastened to a tree near the deer feeder. Then again last fall (2012), I heard a throaty sound as if having labored breathing. It's difficult to explain, but I recognized the sound when I heard it this evening at approximately 7:10 pm. Its a beautiful evening. but my border collie and I both got startled and came into the house. We all need to be careful out here in the Hill Country.

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    1. we are close to there and have had a encounter

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  18. My son and I saw one in Burnet County two years ago. The jaguarundi is a diurnal animal. Unusual for this one to be out at night.

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    1. I saw large black cat which I thought was a black panther out near lake LBJ.. it crossed the road following a deer and went down into a canyon like area full of rocks... it was near some homes.

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    2. I live in Helotes, in an acreage community. Just before dusk today, I was driving home and a dark colored, weird looking cat, long tail, long body, flattened head, ran in front of my car into a thicket of trees. No way it was a domestic cat. Was about 1.5 times the size of a house cat, and ran in a weird, pogo motion bouncing from front feet to back feet. That's what struck me as most odd about it. Im pretty sure it was a Jaguarundi, but they arent supposed to be here. Hope they are making a comeback, though.

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  19. I just saw a large black cat outside Del Rio, Tx. It was at 11:40pm and I was alerted by 2 deer that went on point like a dog with tails pointed horizontal to their body and ears straight up. I eased around the corner of my RV and saw a dark outline thinking it was a yearling. When I put my flashlight on it was I shocked to see a large black cat with a long tail. It turned and ran. I got a good look and still unsure what kind of cat I saw. I'm a retired Border Patrol Agent and have seen 2 mountain lions during my career but nothing like this? Still searching the internet for answers. Could it be a black jaguar out of Northern Mexico?


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  20. A few years back i saw a dark colored cat, long tail much larger than a normal cat..It was walking a fenceline, was able to watch it for awhile...In between port Arthur and sabine pass at chevron ..It was before light, and in an area full of rabbits and hogs..I asked the chevron workers about it, they said it was common and most had seen it. My guess is the jaguarundi, because it walked with its butt higher than its head.

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  21. Just spotted one of these in San Angelo, Texas. It was crossing the road in the state park at 7pm April 14, 2013. I spoke to the local park rangers and the biologist and they are going out to look for tracks. It looks exactly like the picture above (not the game cam one) - long tail and too large to be a domestic cat. Small head. Definitely feline.

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  22. Just saw one last night at LSC UNIVERSITY PARK CAMPUS near Tomball Tx.
    On the hood my damn c5 corvette scared the heck out of a students mother...stood up on hind legs and looked in my window on my car...I saw it as I came and it left into the woods...pretty big 50-75lbs I would guess but not big enough to be a cougar..

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  23. Went on a jog this morning, and without a doubt, saw a black panther about 35 yards away from me. watched it for about 15 seconds, then left as i had no guns. at first i thought it was a mountain lion, but it was black like the night.

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  24. I live on Concan. We moved here from East Texas. I am a science teacher. About 29 years ago I was driving through the Trinity river bottom early one morning. A black jaguar walked right in front of my car. Once we moved to the hill country I still had early morning commutes so I got to see all kinds of unusual animals. I have witnessed two black bear near my home...one on CR 350 and one on HW 83. My husband and I have both seen jagarundi crossing HW 83 near Deep Creek. Now the large black cats...maybe black jaguar...12 years ago driving between Leakey and Camp Wood in the pre-dawn hours a large black cat crossed in front of my car and in one leap he was on top of the road cut about ten feet high to my left. About 2 years ago on CR 127 near the Sabinal river a similar black cat crossrd the road going toward the river bottom

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  25. I've encountered a jaguarundi in a friend's yard in New Braunfels right on the Guadalupe off Breztke Road. It was at night but I was able to watch the cat for close to 5 minutes while it carefully walked off. It was low to the ground like the photos suggest, definitely larger than a house cat, and reddish in color like some appear to be. After doing lots of research on trying to figure out what it was, there is no doubt in my mind a jaguarundi was what I saw.

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    1. I live in Shiner and have seen a large cat twice that looks like you described.Do you recall seeing any spots and did the one you seen seem to walk with front part of body alot lower to ground then backside? Im the only one that has seen this cat and I think people think im crazy

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  26. I saw a large black cat about 4 feet long from the nose to the base of the tail. It was probably 75 pounds. It crossed Highway 187 a few miles south of Vanderpool in front on my car in June 2012.

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  27. I saw the same creature as described above. Thought I imagined it.
    It was around 8 am. It just sat there and looked at me as I drove up in my driveway. The thing is-I live in upstate South Carolina.

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  28. We live in Ferris Texas and our neighbors said they saw a black panther. They also found a goat carcass in a tree close to a creek in the woods. I don't think a bobcat could drag a goat into a tree. Any ideas on this?

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  29. Proud Army Mom, pleas contact me via email at texascryptidhunter@yahoo.com as soon as possible. I would like to discuss this with you.

    Thanks.

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  30. People assume black Panthers don't exist, however Jaguars are members of the Panthera family and there are black Jaguars so black Panthers do exist whether black cougars exist or not.

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  31. A few weeks ago, at night, I heard the "scream" of a jaguarundi or some type of large cat. Then this morning around 10:00, I saw this large, long black cat that looked the size of a deer walking leisurely down a trail. It had a long bushy tail. I live in the Canyon Lake area.

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  32. My Wife and I live about 15 miles North of Palestine, TX. A few months back she came and woke me around 10:00 p.m.. She said i thing someone has ran off our county road, I hear a woman screaming. As soon as the creature made the sound again I instantly recognized it as a sound I heard as a child on several occasions. I Would love to get the audio, If anyone has any idea to a link with the sound it would be muchly appreciated. I have searched you tube and others but nothing close to what we heard.

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  33. In the '80s I watched one run across the road in front of me and all the way through an open pasture. It was highway 69 between Kountze and Woodville. Big black cat the size of a mountain lion.

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  34. I am up in Dallas county, in the northwest city of Coppell, near DFW airport. I have heard rumors of folks seeing a large black panther roaming along the creek beds in our area at night and even in the day. The folks seeing it live in homes that back up to the creek, in the greenbelt section of the neighborhood. We have lots of bobcats in this area. But this is no bobcat because it has a long tail and is a large cat, much larger than a bobcat. If it isn't a panther or jaguar, then maybe it is a jaguarandi -- but it's here.

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  35. This happened about a month ago on my dads ranch in Cherokee County. I had been up there for about a week and left the day prior to my dads phone call telling me he saw not just one but two cougars on our pipeline. These weren't black cats but none the less, TPWD is insistent that no cougars are in that area. My grandfather bought the land in 1951 and over the years he had seen 3 cougars, 2 of which were black. If you knew my Pops you would know that he saw what he says he did. Heck, 2 seasons ago I was tracking a hog on my cousins side of the fence when I heard some rustling about 20 yards in the bushes from. I saw 2 black backs and immediately thought, "alright, more hogs". I raised my gun and aimed at the opening they were running towards. When one broke off and headed to the creek bottom but the other came out no more than 20 yards in front of me. We it wasnt a hog, it was a huge wolf. And I know, its not supposed to be there and TPWD would tell tell me it was a large coyote or hybrid. But you can going to tell me that I didnt see a wolf. I grew up on that ranch and know what a coyote looks like. Point being is that you never know what your going to see in those East Texas woods. And by the way, I never took a shot at the wolf. I lowered my wolf and watched him run off. Beautiful animal!

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  36. Fantastic blog, first time am seeing this black bobcat ,interesting post.Hunting in texas

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  37. I saw one that looked a lot like that photo of the jaguarundi in the Salado Creek area of San Antonio this evening

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  38. My wife saw a large black cat last night in Tyler county about ten miles out side of Woodville, I saw the same thing about about three months ago. www.mowersgraden.blogspot.com

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  39. I saw a big black cat around 2005 in N. Austin Suburb. It scared the crap out of me. I was walking on a bike path covered in trees at dusk when a giant cat (aprox the size of a golden retriever) crossed the path about 30 ft ahead. It was so intimidating I stopped while it looked at me, then I slowly turned away and walked off. I always thought maybe someone had an exotic cat illegally and let it loose. But I think I saw a Jaguar- It was pure black, no spots.

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  40. I have seen many black cougars in Oak Cliff TX. They seem to have long red claws and attitudes.

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  41. My husband and I have seen a large black cat that we thought of as a back panther twice in 20 years. The last sighting was this year. Friends have also seen it. we are in Anderson co. Texas next to the Engling Wildlife refuge. My daughter saw a dead one beside the road about 15 years ago.

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  42. I saw some type of cat cross the road ahead of me at the Sabanna River near De Leon, TX yesterday afternoon sometime just after 5pm. It was dark in color and looked much like the jaguarundi pic you have posted.

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  43. My mother-in-law lives west of Stonewall. A few years ago she saw a black cat (4-5 ft body length, tail another 4 ft long) crossing a field alongside 290, close to the Pedernales. She thought she was going crazy. I researched jagaurundis, but she said it was much, much larger and solid black.

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  44. Northeast Texas, Fannin County. This area known as "The Wildcat Thicket", and also for Sam Rayburn home in Bonham and the Lee - Peacock fights near Trenton, TX. We have seen this black cat with a tail as long as its body on Sept. 25th at 10pm and about a year ago. We also see bobcats, which have longer legs and a different walk.
    Like many other people at first you ask what was that?
    We can hear the bobcats (more than one) at the same time this week. They have a mating cry, sounds like a
    screaming cry. I looked on-line for animal sound, after
    after hearing it in the woods. You can hear them twice a year spring and fall. I love the country and wild life!!!

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  45. I had seen a large black cat chasing a deer while I was hunting on Oct. 21, 2012. This was in Murray, KY off of Boat Wright Trail. It was only 65 yards from my stand and I was able to see it for about 8-10 seconds.

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  46. I moved to Wise County ,Texas in 1998. While sleeping with the windows open one night, I was awakened by a scream outside. The scream sounded like a frightened woman. Seven years later in the spring of '05 while watching new neighbors large black lab roam my east field , I scared him of with BB gun 200 ft. A few days latter he returned ,so I thought I would shoot up in the trees ,above him with bird shot. He went north across my field ,so I went in house to get gun and on returning watched for him to return along tree line of east hay field. Not long did something black appear in my neighbors field to the north. Where this animal came from is a known game trail. My neighbors field is not planted ,so it is very brushy. Next I saw a black tail above the brush and weeds. The brush was three feet tall. I realized this was no tail from the black lab. Next out of the brush came the rounded head, then the long neck, and long body. Even with the gun in my hands and three shells ,I was scared. This animal was solid black and similar in size to a mountain lion. I didn't shoot, and watched it disappear into my east field tree line at a trot. The next day I went to see if any tracks were left ,just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and there they were. Now 8 years later my neighbor lost many young goats. This cat was not a bob cat or a large domestic. This was a massive cat and twice as long as the dog I had been watching.

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  47. Love this site! I live in Clay Co. in Texas, close to Wise Co. 15 to 20 years ago there was a pair of black "mountain lions" or so people thought. We have bobcats and mountain lions here. Recently a neighbor and I were talking about a mountain lion I had spotted by my house. He asked me if I had seen the black one. He had spotted one just recently. I am starting to wonder exactly what it was. I know the one I spotted years ago was bigger than your jaguarondi. The head didn't look the same either. I wouldn't have thought about it being a jaguar until talking to a hunter friend who said he thought there were jaguars in Texas.

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  48. So, with science telling us they don't exist, millions of man hours spent in the woods by hunters every year with no photos or "panthers" killed, and hundreds of thousands of game cameras running year round all over and not one confirmed photo...........

    I suppose bigfoot is out there too.....

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    1. Actually you are completely wrong. Jaguars existed in their habitat from South America through Central America and Mexico to as far north as texas or Arizona. The last ever jaguar to be killed in texas officially was in 1940. I do not recall where in texas or the mans name however you can look into it on Wikipedia. There were other jaguar kill before this in the early 1900s. They are now declared officially extinct by the government. There however has been numerous signings since with this site as proof. I lived outside of McKinney texas and both my mother and father have sworn they have seen one multiple times. I myself have seen it once run across the road. It was like nothing I haver ever seen before. There are multiple pictures such as those posted on this site. Jaguarundis are however not extinct they are on the endangers species act list and live in south texas. The large bulk of these sightings may be black jaguarundis which are like small jaguars

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  49. My grandfather and I,on our family's ranch in Lingleville Tx. (About 75 miles south west of Ft.Worth) saw a black cat with a long tail while feeding cattle. My great grandfather always took stories of seeing on on occasion. I'm a believer. There's no doubt in my mind of what it was. There around.

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  50. I seen a black panther off of CR 1112 in Cleburne, Texas back in 1998. It was crossing the road. No doubt to what it was.

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  51. RaW read Black Panthers, Little Known North American Treasure

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  52. Hate to spoil the ridiculous rantings here, but did anyone else consider that the animal in the picture is simply a white-nosed coati, which, though uncommon, would not be as absurd as jumping to the conclusion that jaguarundis have somehow not only overcome their Texas extirpation but have also expanded their range into country which, based on ALL current knowledge, is inhospitable for them?

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    1. Not spoiling anything. There are already confirmed (by game wardens) sightings of them here near Concan. Also in the Utopia area. If Coyotes can migrate to CANADA what on earth would make someone so narrow minded as to think the jaguarundis might not be farther north???

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    2. I sure did consider that, and as a wildlife rehabber, I can say you are wrong. I saw one in Wichita Co. a few years ago, and I saw it's face. It was a jaguarundi, not a coati. Hate to rain on your mainstream academic biologist inspired parade. It always amuses me what the biologists say can't be, and then we find out that it is indeed. Just because YOU haven't seen one, doesn't mean it doesn't exist here. I documented the western most range of the Three Toed box turtle in this state as well, 100 miles farther west than the academics say it is on the range maps, and it has yet to be credited to me because some stuffy academic didn't find it yet so he could publish on it. That's how that game is played.

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    3. I also think the animal at the deer feeder is a coati.....the tail looks banded rather than spotted....that says coati or raccoon to me

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    4. To find a raccoon as big as whatever that was standing by the deer feeder, is going to be more impossible to find, than a black Panther.

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  53. A jaguarundi or coati can weigh up to 20 lbs. The large black cat that I saw weighed about 60-70 lbs.

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  54. I was walking with my two German Shepherds out in my back pasture one morning about 7:oo in January of this year~2014, when my male shepherd came to a quick stop and stood watching something about 50 yards ahead of us. When I looked up I saw a dark colored cat about 30 pounds or so, leap about 10 feet up into a tree covered with thick brush and was gone, it had a long tail. this was out fm..414 in Cleburne, Tx. not sure what it was but a neighbor up the road said his wife had a picture that she had taken earlier.

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    1. i just bought a house this year in woodbury tx . very secluded heavilt wooded no cel service so remote and saw a big blck cat 100 ft from my back door at 9 am one morning.it took off running as i opened my back door,saw very long thick tail ...neighbors tell me this is the place for the jagurundies

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  55. Hello, I recently moved to a community NE of Mckinney, TX in Collin County. I saw what I believe to be a black panther walking in the woods along the creek behind our house. It looked like it had a 3ft tail and body w/tail about 6ft. It was in the shadows of the trees & I did not see any spots. We live in a new community w/ mostly vacant lots, woods, and lakes. The person across the street said he saw one over a year ago. I'm afraid for our dog. Can they be caught and relocated? You are welcome to put up a camera.

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    1. As a wildlife rehabber, I can tell you that relocation is detrimental to wildlife, and in many cases it is against the law to do so, especially if you are not permitted by the state to do so. My advice is learn to co-exist with wildlife and keep your dog up at night. We can't just go catching and relocating any wildlife we see that gives us a small concern. You moved into Collin Co, then you moved into known wildlife habitat. Learn to live with it if you're going to move to such places.

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  56. I just found this site after having a Sighting of what appeared and I truly believe to be a Black Panther yesterday 05/10/2014. We were at our deer lease my husband and I ridding in our Polaris Ranger UTV in Corrigan, Texas (East Texas Piney Woods) Carmona Area, putting protein in our feeders. It was evening time but still daytime as the sun was still up.We were coming down the main dirt road of our lease right before White Oak bridge and all the sudden it came out from the right side of the road out of the grassy sides of the road that ran along both sides of the road along with woods on both sides. After it came out and I guess it saw and heard us because it immediately turned running away from us straight up the middle of the road for just a few seconds and then turned and disappeared into the woods...I saw it first so I actually saw it come onto the road but my husband's first sight of it was after it hit the road and was already running away from us. It was black as coal it's body was long, but was also a thick full long body, it was not slender like a bob cats body and of course no where near as small as a bob cat it was a "Big Cat"...it had the gait of a cat with no doubt...it happened all so fast but I remember telling myself oh my gosh that's a cat and faintly remember seeing the long tail that convinced me so quickly that this was a Big Cat before it turned and was running away from us so then you couldn't really see the tail then...
    You try to run it back through your mind afterwards when you can't believe what you just saw and you ask yourself as your convincing yourself that you really did just see this but you think people are going to ask you.. are you sure it wasn't a black hog?...."No Way, this could have been a hog, I know what a hog looks like seen too many of them and how they move with a stiff gait and stiff body.. this was moving with how I would describe as a slightly clumsy but smooth gait of a cat nothing stiff about it with every part of the body moving and gliding freely behind the other parts..not the stiff movement like a hog...also I saw the semi square head of a cat...did not have a long nose for sure...I even asked myself if it could have been a dog because we do have peoples dogs come through our lease quiet often but again it did not move like a dog, or look at all like a dog, a dog even has a stiffer gate to them and it did not have the head of a dog...it was a Big Coal Black Cat! The size I would say about 3/4 of being a full grown adult Panther.
    The problem we all have when we usually see something like this is..."Did I just see what I think I saw?" It happens so fast and your at awe and can't believe what you just saw and you know nobody is going to believe you so you start questioning yourself. But you know what your eyes saw, it's your brain that your having to try to convince because it's so rare to see, that it's hard to believe you just encountered it...then you have to convince others and that's the hard part and if they have never seen something like this or ever had anything like this happen to them, then they are most likely not going to believe you really saw what you know you saw...We took all our camera's up end of season and planned on not putting them up this year during the summer as usual because we have had cameras not last long and have to keep buying new ones and feel it has a lot to do with the sometime triple digit heat we have in Texas. But after this encounter I will be working on getting our camera's back up and running in the next couple of weeks to see if I can get a picture to confirm what I know we saw...

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  57. Me, my mom, and Grandmother saw a jaguarundi crossing the road near a low water crossing in Horseshoe bay out in the thicket in the late 90s. People would see them ALL of the time in Llano and Burnet county. They have a very distinct look, very low to ground, and long with a really long tail. Huge, if not some of the most dense deer populations in the state of Texas for both counties. They could survive easily. Now with the huge increase in the hog population over the last 10 years they certainly have more than enough prey to sustain themselves.

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    1. Jaguarundis are way too small to take deer or hogs.....rabbits and young opossums are probably the biggest prey they can kill.

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  58. My neighbor says she saw a black panther in the hill country the other day we live in spice wood Texas spice wood beach

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  59. A friend says she saw a black panther at spice wood beach area in spice wood tx beginning of June 2014

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  60. Hill Country? Hell I saw one circa 2007-8 outside of Wichita Falls, crossing just south of the Lake Wichita dam. It crossed right in front of my car at night, toward the lake, and I had to stop for it because it took it's time crossing the road. I'm a wildlife rehabber. I know it wasn't a bobcat. I've seen plenty of bobcats, plenty of coyotes, etc. This was a big CAT. This thing was darker than night and had a long thick tail that was upturned and bounced behind as it walked. It was too small to be a jaguar, but larger than a bobcat. I shined a q-beam onto it as it disappeared into the reeds off the road. I didn't even know what a jaguarundi was at the time. I had never heard of them until I had this sighting and began researching it, but there is zero doubt what I saw now. It WAS a jaguarundi.

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  61. What do they sound like? We have a hunter-type animal that comes toward us at night in our woods and it has a creepy sound. It is a silent stalker - like a cat, but the sound is not cat-like. We recorded the sound once. I can't find an animal with a sound like the one we recorded. We are barely north of Hill Country.

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  62. Even Texas Parks and Wildlife report in their official brochure on large cats that Jaguarundi have been seen as far north as San Antonio. Nothing "crypto" about that.

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  63. Two days ago I was heading down a road in brazoria tx and I saw three cars parked on the side of the road people were outside of their cars on the side of the road looking at something. I figured someones family pet had been ran over. But the look on their faces was an astonished look. So as I'm passing I decide to look. The creature I saw was the size of a large dog long tail and the color was black but in the right light it had a goldish spotted look I can tell you right now it was no bobcat or dog. After reading a few articles on jaguarundis I believe that is what it was. I really wish I just pulled over and took a pic. It was very similar to the pic of the jaguarundi above.

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  64. These big black Jaguars are being seen all over BlueRidge Texas. They leave tracks that are just like a jaguar, not a cougar. I've seen one. It is big.

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  65. Several of my family members have seen a black very large cat resembling a Mountain Lion but pitch black in color in Willow Grove, PA near the PA turnpike in late evenings around 12:00 to 2:00 A.M. One time it had a opossum in its paws ready to bite and it took one leap and jumped at least 20' off into the woods.

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  66. These are great pictures. I love going on hunting trips. I have never hunted game this big but would love to try it out.

    http://www.wildlifesystems.com/

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  67. When I was about 8 or 9 years old in 1985 my family went to see to cousins in Magnolia TX. At that time it was pretty remote. I played with a cousin out behind their house. I noticed what I thought was the coolest stuffed animal with the most beutiful emerald green eyes sitting slightly behind tree staring at us less than 20 ft away at the edge of the woods. Its coat was as black as night and almost gleamed in the early evening sun. It was as still as a stone and didnt even blink. .It sat on the other side of a 4 ft wire fence. As I gazed for 30 seconds or so at it until I heard my mother scream from the backdoor "Run ! " At the sound of her voice the big cat did a 180 and disapeared seemingly without a sound. Perhaps it was curious or looking for an easy meal. I hunt and have twice seen cougars and this cat was the same size as that. My uncle said that the neighbors calves had been harrased by a cat and eventually the rancher shot the cat which they called a Panther a month or so after I saw it. I am thankful to have seen such a beautiful animal and more thankful for a mothers watchful eye ! 30 years later I still remember that cats eyes.

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  68. I am so thankful that I have come across this blog/website, I was beginning to doubt my sanity! I live way up northern Texas at Lake Texoma, close to the Oklahoma border. If you look at Mapquest and do an aerial view, you can see how wooded the area is at Tanglewood Resort.
    About a month ago, I was coming back early in the morning from taking the kids to school. Driving back to the resort takes you through a long winding road through thick greenery, trees and a few ponds. As I drove around a curve, I saw a large cat and two, possibly three little ones going across the road into the brush about 100 feet in front of me! I stopped at the spot to see if I could get a better look, but I couldn't find them.
    She, I'm guessing it was Mom, looked to be at least 2 feet tall, and 3 feet in length, not including her long tail. She was sleek, not stocky, very dark, I would say black. I saw legs going into the brush ahead of her, I keep thinking that form looked bigger though, more like hers, but I couldn't be for sure. Daddy? Or that's why I guessed the number of cubs could be more because the other two were running on the other side of her, I could only see their little paws and legs up to their tummies.
    They've been constantly on my mind every since. Anyone I tell says it was just shady and they looked dark but they're just Bobcats. I've seen Bobcats before, up close and too personal. These were not some strange long tailed Bobcat! They've also said they were just wild house cats! NO! NOT! I'm not crazy! I know what I saw and to me they resembled a black panther miniaturized. Can someone please explain this and put my mind at ease? Maybe I have been seeing things in the morning shadows!

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  69. There are numerous large cat sightings all over the country, many of them black. Generally, the black cat is larger than a standard puma, according to the observers. These cats are also associated with areas of paranormal activity, at least loosely. My uncle saw a very large black puma cross the road here in eastern Pennsylvania in 1961. Two summers in a row, you could hear it screaming in the woods behind the house every night, in about 1966-67. It sounded like a woman being murdered, screaming in pain. There are a lot of big black cat sightings in PA. I assume the photo to be of a puma, as the other cat's tail is more tapered at the tip, and the top of the back of the cat is more rounded than peaked in the center.

    A cat almost as big as a deer at the shoulder, even if it is a yearling (the one in the back is) is a sizeable cat. Do the math.

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  70. I hope to get time to read all of the comments sometime, but wanted to give my encounter.
    In 1978, I was 12, we hunted swamp rabbits at least once a week after midnight. We hunted off the hood of 1965 chevelle, on gas well roads of oyster shell on the west end Brazoria County Texas. The shell roads were approximate 8' wide with a ditch on both sides, both approximate 10' wide tied to the woods with heavy swamp like vegetation and trees.

    It was my turn on the hood with my Christmas present a brand new 870 Wingmaster. It was around 3AM and everyone was about ready to head home, but I wanted to go down one more road. It was about 45 minutes into the ride, cold and misting.

    I remember this very vividly, and total siting lasted less than 2 seconds, but it is something you don't ever forget if you are a hunter.

    The solid black cat, my estimations are body only 3.5', tail even longer with curl on the end, height around 2'.

    The cat came across in front of me about 25' away, it leapt from the woods to the center of the road, leapt again and was just shy being inside the woods on the other side of the road and on into the woods and gone.

    This was no hallucination, because it startled the driver so bad, he slammed the brakes on sending me and my 870 to the oyster shell, me and 870 still have the scars.

    About 20 years ago, I had just crossed Texas State Highway 35 and saw an unmistakable long black tail with a curl on the end enter into the prairie grass at fence line FM 1459.

    5 years ago, there were 2 - 4" diameter round cat tracks in my horseshoe pit, (I live between to ranches on 9 semi-cleared acres.

    This year the ranchers to the east of me, have taken pictures of the same tracks running along side the main ranch road running west to east, approximately 1/4 of a mile from the San Bernard River west bank.

    I am here to tell you that these black cats exist in Brazoria County, If you don't believe this, go out to Old Ocean bottom land, southwest of Old Ocean, Texas, make three trips in a week, find a good wooded area, be quite, and sit from 2AM to dawn, I guarantee you will hear one of them howl out their blood curdling scream (much like an extremely distressed woman....or possibly very pleased) at least once, but more than likely more.

    Would love to here more eyewitness encounters in Brazoria County Texas.

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  71. Come on guys! Do a quick search on jaguarundis. They are only slightly larger than a domestic cat. They do not hunt deer or feral hogs. I would love to get to the bottom of this "black panther" mystery but we need to stick to facts.

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  72. I was once outside of Austin TX in the middle of winter with 2 friends and 2 dogs at Hamiltons Pool. No one else was there but us. A soon as we got there our dogs took off. We searched and searched all day. Finally right before dark they returned. At the time I was a rock climber. I had gone up a ledge to a bluff to check up there for them. On my way back down. I stopped on a ledge to take a break and smoke a cig. (I since quit). However I feel that cig saved my life at the time. I sat down and lit it up. I looked to my left and not more than 20 ft. away stood the most beautiful HUGE solid black cat with the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen to this day. I looked away for 1 second wondering what to do.. Looked back and it was gone. I can't help but wonder if the smell of the match and cigg drove it away. Earlier that day when I was hiking around I so felt that I was being watched that I picked up a huge rock and went running and screaming at the top of my lungs back to my friends... Only to feel stupid till later. Mind you I was on a rock ledge very high up. It was as if something/someone blanked out my mind and what had just happened instantly dissappeared from my mind or I most likely would have jumped off that ledge or panicked so bad that it would have attacked me. I sat there and smoked my cig and proceeded down like nothing happened. I got with my friends and we started back to the car. We got about 100 yds to the car when that thing which sounded like it was in the bushes right next to us let out a scream that would curdle your blood. My friend looked at me and said, "What was that?" Everything that had just happened to me came rushing back and I knew what it was. I didn't tell them till we got to the car so they would not panic. I will never forget this as long as I live.
    Real quick, I saw a true Cougar in New Braunfels come down to the Guadalupe Rivers ege for a drink. It fled as soon as it realized there were so many people. I don't go out there now (I ride a mountain bike) without pepper spray and a BIG knife.

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  73. Hello. I have two accounts. The first happened in the spring of 2012 at Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge. This was on a sunday evening and there were very few people in the park. As we were walking the larger trail we kept hearing a large animal moving softly in the brush next to us as if it was stalking our movements. This happend for several minutes. We didnt get to see it, but then we heard a wild hog squealing as it was getting slaughtered. It sounded brutal. There were several loud cat-like hisses and growls. The hog sounded like a larger hog and the fight lasted for a few minutes until the hog was silenced and dragged off quickly. According to the park staff there aren't supposed to be any larger cats in the area that could drag off a hog.

    My second account happened last week at South Padre Island. We were staying at La Quinta on the north side of the island. At about 2am I was sitting in the balcony facing north when a very large black cat jumped into the hotel pool area next door. This cat was about 4ft from snout to tail. It seemed to have shorter legs and a very long tail. I could tell the size because i compared it the floor tiles. I was watching from directly above. I imagine that the hotel next door (the Hilton Garden Inn) might have some footage of it on their security camera.

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  74. Back in the early 70's or so in the Giddings La Grange area my parents had a place. Actually near and on Greene's Creek. There was a rumor of black cats that supposedly came out the deep woods when they flooded Yegua Creek to make Lake Summerville. Well damn if we didn't all see one while driving on the gravel road. Walked right in front of us in no hurry. It looked to me like a black cougar but a little smaller maybe. The old German locals called them Jaguaundi's. So I know they exist because I saw one though it was many years ago.

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  75. I know this is an old post...hopefully you're still reading it. I just saw a cat that looks exactly like the one in your last picture...same coloring. At 11 am, on Vista Ridge Rd. (North Austin/Cedar Park), June 19, 2015. At first, I thought it was a coyote but soon realized it was a cat. It had the long cat tail, slinkier body than a coyote, same head shape as in your posted picture, and ran/moved like a cat. When googling images, I saw your picture and it was a match. The cat had started to run across the road but, as I drive up, it turned back around and headed for a patch of woods. This is surprising as there is a lot of (newer) housing in the area.

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  76. Maybe the cat, I saw today, came out due to all the recent flooding in the area?

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  77. I saw a young black cat with a long tail slender body crossing the ditch just 20ft off the road in daylight. It was definitely over 60 lbs. So posted my story on Facebook. Only to find out dozens of other people with similar stories in south Tx. So yeah there's no doubt that big black cat are here in Tx.

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  78. I live in kerrville texas. We were living with my grandma at the time, she lived near the stadium, there is a large amount of wooded property across the street from her, my dad would go outside to smoke his cigarettes and he witnessed a large black cat. Huge. He watched it cross the street, then proceed to jump the dirt ledge, then the fence and disappear into the trees. He called the police and this him what he saw. They came out the next day and searched the premises, they did not find the cat, but they found the large paw prints and scratches left from where it had jumped. My dad kept watching the next few nights. We noticed the deer population was low. He finally saw it again, roaming the streets, but by the time we got out there it was gone. My grandma thought he was crazy till one day she threw a turkey outside for the strays. She was taking the trash out later and saw the giant cat herself. It was taking off with the turkey. She came inside very flustered and called the authorities again.

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  79. About 5 years ago, maybe 2010-11, saw medium size black cat that looked like small panther run up from the east Bosque riverback. The cat was chasing a bird that was flying just few feet above the ground. The cat ran across my lane of traffic on Lakeshore Dr.(Waco,TX). The cat was a very dark black color, about 2.5' to 3' long, guess about 25 to 35 lbs, long black tail. The cat's head was rounded shape about size of typical cantaloupe. Later saw picture of a jaguarundi cat on internet, the cat looked like that species.

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    1. I worked at the boys ranch in West and a few coworkers said they had seen 2 black "panthers" one night as they were leaving work.

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  80. I live near Danbury,Tx near a bayou, while on my tractor recently I thought I saw a black Labrador retriever, but when it moved I thought it was a river otter which I've seen on occasion. The animal crossed in front of me and was definitely a large cat with a long tail, now I know it was a Jaguarondi.I have talked with several old timers here and many have seen as kids and called them simply the big black cats with long tails. Several lived near Liverpool,Tx and spotted the cats near rice fields. Hopefully they are making a come back.

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  81. I've seen a jaguarundi cat chase a low flying bird near the Bosque river in Waco in about 2009. Also have seen a mountain lion while traveling on hi way 7 , approximately 5 miles west of Marquis ,TX in May 2009. That was a Lotta kitty fixing to cross that road!!!

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  82. I live about 45 minutes south of Brazos Bend. I've seen a large cat three times in the past couple of years crossing the road. It's not much larger than a bobcat, more lean and longer, with a very long tail. It appears black until the light shines on it and then I saw that it was actually spotted. I've also heard what sounds like a woman screaming at night.

    We have a lot of wildlife in this area so I'm not sure if the numerous goat deaths are from that cat or coyotes. And I'm not sure if I've seen the same cat several times or if it was more than one cat. It looks like the photos I've seen of the jaguarundi.

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  83. I never knew what a jaguarundi was and didn't know there was no such thing as black panthers. We just got back from my deer lease doing some hog hunting and saw what I thought was a black panther chasing a bobcat in to a tree. It was in broad daylight so there was no mistaking it. We have a mountain lion out there but it isn't black as I've seen him up close. He jumped out a tree five feet away from me. After looking up photos of the jaguarundi I'm 1000% positive that is what it is. my lease is in luling tx. In Guadalupe county. I know that's far from where they are supposed to be but I know that's what it is now. I was looking up black panthers in Texas because it looked to small to be as big as what I imagined a panther would be. And it was very long. When I saw it I said man that's a weird shaped cat. Long and short. But after seeing photos of the jaguarundi it all makes sense now.

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  84. We saw something similar to this just last night about 1 am in the back roads of D`hands TX I was sounded by it didn't take photos but it really seemed like a large cat my first thought was of a black panther

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  85. I've often wondered about this as I have had my own experience with a large black cat about 15 years ago at Pedernales State Park. My family and I were camping there at the last site open, campsite 13. My youngest daughter, who was 3 at the time, and I went for a walk on the trail behind the campsite just before dusk. She walked ahead of me, picking up rocks or leaves that fascinated her. I happened to spot movement in the shadowed path ahead. I really couldn't believe what I was seeing- a large black cat with green eyes. I grabbed my daughter in a split second and stood mesmerized for just a few moments, still not really comprehending what I was seeing. I quickly turned and went back to the campsite. I asked my daughter what we just saw and she said "cat". I told my husband, which sounded quite unbelievable when spoken. I went back to see if it was still there, but it was gone. When I returned, deer came trampling through our site as if to be running from something- a big black cat! I ran up to the Ranger station to make the report and was met with ridicule. I forced them to take the information. So sad. We packed up and left when I returned. What an experience that I will never forget! I still love Pedernales!

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  86. I live in Northeast Texas in the country not too far from Rockwall. I saw a large sleek black cat roaming around my carport at night. I was going outside and when it saw me it darted behind an object and watched me crouched down. I was startled. It was the size of a medium dog and had a long tail. I stood still not sure what to do and then it started to run at me. Thankfully I was close enough to run inside my house and when I shut the door it turned and ran into the bushes. Freaked me out. I always thought panthers were huge. This wasn't huge, but it was about the size of a bobcat, maybe slightly bigger, more slender, and long tail.

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  87. I saw something like this in northeast Texas. Looked like a medium size dog but was black and quite slender, almost like a huge dachshund and really long take. It saw me and darted behind some items in the carport and watched me. I stood still not sure what to do. It suddenly leaped out toward me and I made a run for the house which was only a few feet away. When I closed the door the big "cat" changed directions and ran off into the dark field surrounding the house. I wondered if it was a panther but I always thought they were huge.

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  88. Well if the National Parks and Wild Life can stock the parks with Timber Rattlers and make massive areas a no hunting zones why cant they stock those areas with big Cats. If they don't do something the Hogs will destroy what they claim to be saving. Segno Texas,

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  89. Around 5:50am 8/15/16 on fm 306 between rocky river and river's edge roads, where the guadalupe river discharges from Canyon Lake. While driving a cat-like animal crossed infront of me. It's body was about 3 ft. long and squatty maybe 16 in. tall. The tail was almost as long as its body. It was a lighter color greyish/reddish. I have seen foxes out here and the tail I saw was not fox-like. The jaguarundi seems to fit.

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  90. when I was maybe 10 or 11 years old, early 1970's. I was deer hunting with my dad on the Neches River off of HWY 84. My dad shot at a large Black cat walking down a dirt road about 100 yards in front of us. it jumped flat footed 15 feet off the road and into the brush. we spent 2 hours walking around trying to find a blood trail and didn't find any. Now that I am older ( 52 ), I am glad he missed. I am still a hunter, but I don't believe in killing an animal for sport. many times I have watched Bobcats, Foxes, Cycotes, and once a Wessel from my deer stand. Never felt the need to shoot them, just to be killing something. I think we owe it to the habitat in the area we hunt to be responsible hunters. The laws of natural and eco system will adapt and continue to grow if we leave as little footprint as we can. I would love to see a Black Panther, or Jaguar, or even Jaguarundi. Maybe as there populations grow, I will.

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  91. Saw what I would describe as a black panther in the green belt behind our home. Would a large cat like this eat a family of fox, since we are missing our fox family of seven? We live in San Antonio, north of the airport. A few years ago saw a larger cat in the same location and was told by the wildlife folks I wasn't the first to see such a sighting in this area.

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  92. I just witnessed a large black cat I could only describe as a black panther near Rio Medina about 30 miles west of San Antonio. I just left the house to walk my dog and the cat was sitting about 25 yards from me and it just sat there and we looked at each other for about a minute before it decided to leave. I have seen bob cat and mountain lions before and this cat was much larger than a bob cat closer to the size of a mountain lion with a tail similar to the mountain lion but it was all black. Needless to say I feel like I just witnessed an animal most never see and chances are I will never see again.

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    1. Yesterday my wife and my daughter just saw one like the one you just described but here in San Antonio TX by Eisenhuer and midcrown I'm concerned because here is habitacional area and there is a kinder garden just built in the wooded area.

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  93. They do exist and are seen as far north as Victoria county, Texas. I had heard about it growing up and thought it was just one of those stories meant to scare you until I heard it scream one night out back of our house on coleto creek. I never got a close up look back then but didn't want to either. In the recent years we moved back out that direction very close to the Guadalupe river and once again were told they were here. Well I didn't get on camera but couldn't believe my eyes when late one evening I saw it running across the back pasture behind our house. There's absolutely no mistaking this big cat for anything smaller. The gracefulness with which it covered that open ground on a full stretched out run until it was once again hidden by the trees was so awesome and unbelievable at the same time. So the rumors are true and usually once a year or so it is spotted making it's way thru our area.

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  94. I saw a cougar this morning by Westhaven in Canyon Lake,TX. I though it was a fox, then I saw his long tail, then his head, it was certainly a cougar or mountain lion.

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  95. I believe I saw a Jaguarundi on Highway 271 by Medina lake yesterday. I would guess it was about 40 to 50 pounds. It had a very long thick tail and stopped while crossing the street to look at me. It was dark brown with some type of pattern in his fur. I've seen the silhouette if this animal in the same area before but this was my first sighting before dusk.

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  96. I'm in the DFW metroplex. About 4 years ago, when I was working midnights I saw a Jaguarundi walking along a creek at the border of Colleyville and North Richland Hills. I spotlighted it and took a short video of the cat on an old phone. Everything I read said these cats were rare in this area. I reported the sighting to TPWD but never heard back.

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  97. I'm in the DFW metroplex. About 4 years ago, when I was working midnights I saw a Jaguarundi walking along a creek at the border of Colleyville and North Richland Hills. I spotlighted it and took a short video of the cat on an old phone. Everything I read said these cats were rare in this area. I reported the sighting to TPWD but never heard back.

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  98. I live just south of San Antonio, in Atascosa county. I see jaguarundi on occasion when I drive to work in the city as well as in my neighborhood. They are definitely around the area, they're just good at staying out of sight most of the time.

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  99. Years ago I lived in Blackwell, TX which is about 35 miles south of Sweetwater. I had to drive into Sweetwater for work and then home again, many times in the dark. I was always wary of deer and kept a sharp eye out. But one morning as I neared the intersection for Nolan (also called Divide), I saw very clearly a black panther, black as midnight, and the size of a fairly large dog cross the road in front of my car. I had plenty of time to watch it cross the road. It was in no real hurry, just crossed at a fair pace. I had always heard the local farmers knew there was a big cat in the area......but I finally saw it. We had lived in the area about a dozen years, that was the only time I saw for myself.

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  100. We were squirrel hunting on property next to the state park at Lake Whitney,Texas in 2006. I don't hunt so I was a good ways away from the group squatting next to a tree smoking a cigarette, when I saw what I thought was a black house cat. I wondered what it was doing so far in the woods but didn't think too much about it. A few minutes later I saw it again, it had circled around me and was a lot closer and I could see it was very large and had an extremely long blunt tail. It circled me again and was now about 40 yards away and it was the size of medium size dog, I was scared and realized that at 5'1 and all squatted down I was very small. I stood up and started yelling and throwing rocks and it ran away. No one believed me until they found large pawprints. It was broad daylight and I know what I saw.

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  101. We were squirrel hunting on property next to the state park at Lake Whitney,Texas in 2006. I don't hunt so I was a good ways away from the group squatting next to a tree smoking a cigarette, when I saw what I thought was a black house cat. I wondered what it was doing so far in the woods but didn't think too much about it. A few minutes later I saw it again, it had circled around me and was a lot closer and I could see it was very large and had an extremely long blunt tail. It circled me again and was now about 40 yards away and it was the size of medium size dog, I was scared and realized that at 5'1 and all squatted down I was very small. I stood up and started yelling and throwing rocks and it ran away. No one believed me until they found large pawprints. It was broad daylight and I know what I saw.

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  102. I live in Northwest Austin and my next door neighbor texted me earlier to ask if I'd seen a large black cougar-like cat in the neighborhood as they saw one crossing the street in front of our homes late last night. We live off of 183 and Oak Knoll but have a large wildlife population, including a melanistic buck (not fully black but much darker than normal, I have a few good pics of him) and there is a green belt behind our house. I haven't seen it, yet, but have noticed that I haven't been seeing the raccoons/foxes/opossums I normally see. Do they prey on them?

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  103. Except the jaguarundi does not have the color pattern the recent sightings and pictures have, they are clearly a Jaguar.

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  104. I live in Paso Robles,ca in a neighborhood. There are hills behind us also a small water treatment plant..about 2weeks ago around 6 pm I Was driving and there was a long low cat with a really long tail running like sideways down the road right toward me then he went up a little side bank right next to these duplex’s...he was black and reddish brindle colored.he looked so playful and happy while running down the street I hope to see him (or her)again... much different then any cat I’ve seen.. .I looked on the internet to see what it was and I know it was a Jaguarundi.. I’ve seen mt. Lions/puma and bobcat..this kitty was jaguarundi for sure..I loved this cat..and he just seemed so peaceful and at home running down the street.. I’m not sure why Im ont this sight..

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  105. I just found this site. I have been researching Big Black Cats since 2013 when I had my own close sighting. I notice that most of the write-ups contained here are prior to 2014 and maybe west coast oriented. There are many sightings of large BLACK cats on the east coast areas near swamps, ocean, and rivers and I am on top ot them. I see MANY jokingly bad statements on this site and hope that maybe the administrators would contact me to assist them in reviving this to the importance it should have if we could get the word out. I look forward to speaking to them by phone.

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  106. Nice information for a new blogger…it is really helpful.lion fighting dog

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  107. Well I believe we may have one in Mexia Texas have footage on my game camera in daylight i will update more with proof or false alarm

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  108. North Texas Wildlife Talk and Facts is a Facebook group with what may be a jaguarundi sighting in northeast Texas, near Arkansas state line. Christina Tutt posted the photo, it is dated January 9, 2022.

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