Among India’s most celebrated wildlife sightings, the black panther, essentially a melanistic leopard, has been photographed in Kabini (Karnataka), Tadoba, and Nagarhole National parks. Unlike tigers, leopards can show complete melanism, giving them a jet-black coat where their usual rosette patterns are faintly visible only in bright light. They remain solitary, shy and highly nocturnal, which makes spotting them in the wild a matter of luck and patience.
