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Panther Facts & Worksheets

The Panther, most commonly the Black Panther, is a member of the Big Cat family. They are natives of Asia, Africa, and America.

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The Panther, most commonly the Black Panther, is a member of the Big Cat family. They are natives of Asia, Africa, and America. The Panther is certainly not a particular animal group itself. It is the general name used to indicate any dark shaded cat of the Big Cat family.

See the fact file below for more information on the Panther or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Panther worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ANATOMY AND APPEARANCE

  • The Panther is approximately 4-9 feet [48-108in] from head to tail and 79-350 pounds [36-160 kg]. It tends to be dark brown to black in color.
  • Panthers have black shiny coats of fur on their long body and tail. They have no spots, but they do have black rosettes that are very difficult to see.
  • They have small heads, strong jaws, rounded ears, emerald green eyes, and very powerful legs.Their hind legs are both larger and longer than those at the front.
  • The panther is not only one of the world’s largest felines, but it can also roar; felines outside this group can not.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

  • Panthers are unbelievably adaptable animals found in many environments.
  • Panthers can thrive in areas such as marshlands and swamplands as well as grasslands. They can also be discovered in hostile areas such as mountains and deserts.
  • The Panther’s black color helps it camouflage into the surrounding forest, making it almost invisible at night.
  • Panthers often hunt and live in trees. They use tree branches to hide and then attack their prey from there.
  • Panthers are considered the strongest tree climbers in the cat family. They can climb up to 18 feet off the ground.
  • They are very intelligent and fast. The panther has a top speed of 71 mph [114 kph].
  • Panthers are able to leap up to 20 feet in pursuit of their prey.
  • Black panthers can live in such a wide range of environments because they can consume many kinds of animals, including multiple species of mammals, reptiles, and birds (all of which are found in different kinds of habitats as well).

BEHAVIOUR AND LIFESTYLE

  • Panthers are rarely seen by people wandering the wild because they are extremely quiet and vigilant animals.
  • Panthers are also nocturnal animals. They primarily hunt at night and spend much of the daytime resting high in the trees.
  • Panthers are powerful and fearless. They are also very aggressive, which causes fear to people and other animals.
  • The panther will attack the prey’s neck by choking it using its powerful jaws.
  • Panthers are solitary and territorial animals, especially males who usually occupy a large territory. Female panthers may share the territory but not another male.
  • Panthers use scratches or vocalizations to show their presence. Scent marking, in the form of urine or feces around their territory, and signals are enough to keep most intruders out of black panther areas.

REPRODUCTION

  • Female Panthers achieve sexual maturity at about 1½ to 2½ years old and males at approximately 3 years old.
  • The estrous cycle (reproductive cycle) lasts about 46 days, and the female is in heat for 6 to 7 days.
  • The female panther usually gives birth to 2 to 4 cubs, after the gestation period of 3 to 3½ months.
  • Panther cubs are born blind; they open their eyes 4 to 9 days after birth.
  • There is a 40-50% chance of survival for cubs during the first year.
  • Cubs are very vulnerable to predators, particularly when left by their mother who needs to hunt for their food.
  • After a few months, panther cubs accompany the mother in search of prey and learn how to hunt. Young panthers learn quickly; at 9 months, they are able to bring down a medium-sized prey.

DIET AND PREY

  • Panthers are carnivorous animals, or meat eaters.
  • Their food mainly includes herbivores like deer, wild hogs, and wild boar.
  • They also feed on livestock or small animals, such as rabbits, dogs, birds, and fish.
  • They eat almost anything that moves, as long as the prey isn’t too big or strong.
  • Panthers are occasionally preyed upon by other large carnivores, such as lions and hyenas.
  • Panthers often attack livestock and pets, such as goats, cows, pigs, and dogs and cats. Consequently, the most common predator and the biggest threat to all panthers is people.
  • Another threat they face is deforestation and destruction of their natural habitat.

TRIVIA

  • Unlike most domestic animals, panthers, like water.
  • They love to swim, which is why they prefer habitats that include flooded forests and swampy wetlands.
  • Panthers spend most of their time swimming, playing and hunting in the cooling water.
  • The panther is one of America’s smartest and most ferocious predators, so the image of a panther is widely used as a logo or as a mascot for sports teams of baseball, football, basketball and ice hockey.
  • Examples of these teams are the Carolina Panthers, Florida Panthers, and the Milwaukee Panthers.
  • In the Panthera genus, there are three in the Big Cat family along with the black Panther — Leopards (Panthera Pardus), Jaguars (Panthera Onca) which have black or white color mutation, and a subspecies of the Cougar (Puma Concolor).
  • The 30 subspecies of Leopard are found in the hot, dense tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in Nepal, Assam, Malay Peninsula, Myanmar, and China. Some species exist in the United Kingdom. Large numbers of Jaguars are found throughout Central and South America and even in some parts of the USA.

Panther Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Panther across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Panther worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Panther, most commonly the Black Panther, which is a member of the Big Cat family. They are natives of Asia, Africa, and America. The Panther is certainly not a particular animal group itself. It is the general name used to indicate any dark shaded cat of the Big Cat family.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Panther Facts
  • Panther Asks
  • Fill in the Blank Panther
  • Word Search
  • In the Jungle Words
  • Pantrue or False
  • What Can You Say?
  • Wise Panther
  • Panther Search
  • Panther Types
  • Habitat Sketch

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Link will appear as Panther Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 23, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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