Africa's Black Panthers Emerge From a Century in the Shadows

An anonymous reader shares a report: It's a scientific coup to warm the heart of any superhero fan: the first documented sightings of a black panther in Africa in about 100 years [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source], not far from where Marvel places the fictional setting of its Oscar-nominated 'Black Panther.' A team from the Institute for Conservation Research of the San Diego Zoo Global and the Loisaba Conservancy in Kenya confirmed the existence of black leopards -- as the animals are also known -- in Laikipia County, an area north of Nairobi, Kenya's capital. 'It is certain black panthers have been there all along, but good footage that could confirm it has always been absent until now,' Nicholas Pilfold, a biologist at the San Diego institute, said in an Instagram post. 'Black panthers are uncommon, only about 11 percent of leopards globally are black,' he added. 'But black panthers in Africa are extremely rare.'

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