The melantistic leopard (the term used for the black cat) is most generally found in the dense, wet forested areas of India and south east Asia, where the coloration gives the cat a hunting advantage.

Black leopards (the so-called "black panthers" ... often wrongfully mistaken for a cougar) occur most frequently in humid forest habitats (Kingdon 1977), but are merely a color variation, not a subspecies.

Melanistic ... derived from melanin, a dark coloured skin and hair pigment. This melanism in cats results in the fur of the animal being very dark or black in colour.

The spotted markings of the animal can be faintly seen through the dark fur, especially at certain angles in bright sunlight.