Animal Class: Mammal
Diet: Carnivorous
For generations, the people of Appalachia told stories of sightings of large black cats that were ignored by many in the scientific community and laughed off as drug/fear/insomnia induced hallucinations or misidentification of known species like Bobcats. These sightings are now viewed as sightings of the Appalachian Black Panther.
It took a great tragedy for the existence of Appalachian Black Panthers to be confirmed to the rest of the world. A large number of people began to go missing on the Appalachian Trail in a remote part of West Virginia and a member of the many search parties was attacked, severely mauled, and killed by a large and rabid Appalachian Black Panther. The animal was put down and further investigation discovered its den, which was full of body parts belonging to the hikers that had went missing.
Contrary to what the previous fact suggests, Appalachian Black Panthers are actually very shy and elusive creatures that do their best to avoid contact with humans. Due to this behavior, very little is still known about their lifestyle.
Since every sighting has been of solitary individuals, it is believed that Appalachian Black Panthers only come together to mate.
It is still unclear if Appalachian Black Panthers care for their young and teach them to hunt and care for themselves. However, since every other species of wild Feline does that, there's a high chance that they do as well.
They are primarily a nocturnal species that do a majority of their traveling at night and they usually do that deep in the forests and mountains of Appalachia.
Like their name suggests, Appalachian Black Panthers are only known to exist in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. However, sightings of similar creatures have been reported in many areas in Britain so a subspecies or close cousin could exist there.
Their main food supply is most likely Deer, but younger individuals probably prey on Rabbits and Birds. However, reports of attacked Livestock that have occurred over the centuries could be attributed to desperate Appalachian Black Panthers.
The exact lifespan of an Appalachian Black Panther is still unclear, but the very few that have been placed in captivity have been known to live into their early twenties.
Due to the heavy influence that Christianity has had on Appalachia, the cries of the Appalachian Black Panther were once thought to be the cries of demonic entities.
Extra Fun Fact: Unconfirmed sightings of large black cats with six legs have got many people believing that Appalachian Black Panthers have begun breeding with Wampus Cats and investigations to determine whether or not these hybrid creatures exist have been suggested.
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