Many people get the jaguar and leopard confused. The jaguar is more stocky, taller, and heavyset than the leopard, and has different markings. Black leopards, also known as panthers, are not a separate species, but the same species of leopard. The spots can still be seen, as dark black rosettes on a lighter dark brown background. Melanistic leopards and normal leopards have been known to occur in the same litter.
Black leopards are more common in areas with denser trees.
The leopard's dark rosettes help it to blend into the foliage while stalking their prey. Like human fingerprints, each individual leopard's spots are unique. There are many subspecies of leopards. The Arabian leopard is the second smallest leopard. The Amur and Javan leopards have unusual coat patterns, with darker fur and wider spaced rosettes.