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What the hell is a Panther?

upj87

Head Coach
Nov 5, 2003
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I spent my whole life being a Panther fan. It has just come to my attention that no such species exists. Not even a member of the genus panthera (lions, tigers, leopards etc). Just another name for a cougar or a jaguar. Learn something new every day. Any Pitt zoologists out there?
 
Blackleopard.jpg
 
I spent my whole life being a Panther fan. It has just come to my attention that no such species exists. Not even a member of the genus panthera (lions, tigers, leopards etc). Just another name for a cougar or a jaguar. Learn something new every day. Any Pitt zoologists out there?

You are a Panther (and a Mountain Cat).

Pitt's Panther is a Puma concolor. "Panther" is essentially a North American colloquial term. Puma concolor also goes by cougar, mountain lion, puma, and catamount. Puma concolor is not part of genus Panthera, which includes tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards. BTW, "black panthers" are a common term for a color variant of jaguars in the Americas or color variant of leopards in Asia and Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthers_of_Pittsburgh
 
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I spent my whole life being a Panther fan. It has just come to my attention that no such species exists. Not even a member of the genus panthera (lions, tigers, leopards etc). Just another name for a cougar or a jaguar. Learn something new every day. Any Pitt zoologists out there?
you don't know what a panther is? Are you kidding me? You've never seen a 6' tall furry animal standing on it's hind legs in the wild? Sometimes riding on a motorized scooter, often wearing either a basketball jersey or in the fall, a football jersey?

Panther.bmp
 
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that would be a Puma concolor couguar with a melanistic color variant, in this case black. (often referred to as a panther)

Actually, that photo is a melanistic leopard (Panthera pardus) which would be from either Asia or Africa.
 
I spent my whole life being a Panther fan. It has just come to my attention that no such species exists. Not even a member of the genus panthera (lions, tigers, leopards etc). Just another name for a cougar or a jaguar. Learn something new every day. Any Pitt zoologists out there?

Fun fact. The Pitt Panther and the Penn State Nittany Lion are the exact same thing.
 
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I spent my whole life being a Panther fan. It has just come to my attention that no such species exists. Not even a member of the genus panthera (lions, tigers, leopards etc). Just another name for a cougar or a jaguar. Learn something new every day. Any Pitt zoologists out there?
I'm no zoologist, but wouldn't the fact that lions, tigers, and bears leopards being part of genus panthera mean that they are all panthers?
 
I hate to say it but our panther which was adopted a few short years after the nittany lion, is essentially a nittany lion that isn't from the mount nittany region.:(


http://www.225.pitt.edu/story/pitt-adopts-panther
http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/nittanymascot.html

What is the deal with you PSU fans making up Pitt handles to post on this board?


Each of your posts are either pro Penn State, or disparaging towards Pitt.
Are you in eighth grade, or just that juvenile?
 
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I'm no zoologist, but wouldn't the fact that lions, tigers, and bears leopards being part of genus panthera mean that they are all panthers?

Not really. "Panther" is more of a common term, not a scientific, taxological one.

I believe you'd find that "panther" most commonly and acceptably refers to jaguars (Panthera onca), leopards (Panthera pardus), and regionally, cougars (Puma concolor). No one ever refers to, or infers that, tigers and lions are included when someone is using the term "panthers."
 
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Not really. "Panther" is more of a common term, not a scientific, taxological one.

I believe you'd find that "panther" most commonly and acceptably refers to jaguars (Panthera onca), leopards (Panthera pardus), and regionally, cougars (Puma concolor). No one ever refers to, or infers that, tigers and lions are included when someone is using the term "panthers."
Cool, wasn't sure if the term was commonly used to describe that group of animals, like Canine instead of Canidae, or bear for Ursidae, or apes, etc.
 
Speaking of Panthers...who remembers Eldridge Cleaver?
(WARNING: If you say yes, you are showing your age...lol)
 
Cool, wasn't sure if the term was commonly used to describe that group of animals, like Canine instead of Canidae, or bear for Ursidae, or apes, etc.

Well, you'd have to ask someone that actually studies big cats to be sure. But I don't think I've ever seen "panther" used to refer to a lion or tiger in any sense of common practice.
 
What is the deal with you PSU fans making up Pitt handles to post on this board?


Each of your posts are either pro Penn State, or disparaging towards Pitt.
Are you in eighth grade, or just that juvenile?

What's the deal with the paranoia around here? Why is everyone who you slighly disagree with is a nitter in disguise?
 
What's the deal with the paranoia around here? Why is everyone who you slighly disagree with is a nitter in disguise?
That's not an honest statement at all. There are plenty of Pitt fans who disagree with each other on this board. The ones who are suspect, are the ones like you who have 8 posts and each are either pro Penn State, or a slap at Pitt.
 
Speaking of Panthers...who remembers Eldridge Cleaver?
(WARNING: If you say yes, you are showing your age...lol)
that is the son that Ward never brought up at dinner at Fred Rutherford's house...now I'm really showing my age..
 
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that is the son that Ward never brought up at dinner at Fred Rutherford's house...now I'm really showing my age..
From here, I'll just leave it to......................you on this. :D
 
that is the son that Ward never brought up at dinner at Fred Rutherford's house...now I'm really showing my age..

But, Ward did brag to Fred about one of his other sons. The one for whom the world's biggest erector set (found in central PA) is named! No mention of Wally, however.
 
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