Alabama
The legend of Alabama’s black panthers: Why the sightings never stop
So what are so many otherwise reliable people seeing in the woods? Wildlife experts believe most sightings are misidentifications—animals seen in low light that appear larger, darker, or differently shaped than they truly are. Locals frequently report encounters in wooded and mountainous regions, and in most cases, the culprit is likely a bobcat, a black bear cub, an oversized dog, or even a house cat caught in the wrong light. Alabama’s only native wildcat, the bobcat, is typically tan and spotted, though melanistic all-black bobcats have occasionally been recorded—still far smaller than any panther, but striking enough to give pause in a dark wood.