The panther, that powerful and mysterious animal that was chosen as the symbol for the black movement, and one that we at Lulo are proud to showcase as our most empowering and elegant print. Today, we are also proud to tell you more about this visible animal.
In our day to day, we use the word panther to refer to the felines (felines in science speak) that come from the genus (genealogical or family tree in common speak) Panthera, which include: the Lion (Panthera leo) found in Africa, the Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) found in Asia, the Jaguar (Panthera onca) found in America, and the old-world Leopard (Panthera pardus) (1, 2), some people also refer to the Puma (Felis concolor) found in America. The ones with the dark coats? Those are usually jaguars and leopards (3).
And so, Panther has come to be used as an inclusive felid designation that includes cats from different species, all of which are beautiful, powerful, and which we at Lulo have decided to honor with a flower crown. Although we don’t know if Chadwick Boseman’s T'Challa (may he rest in peace) intended to portray many of these different species, because paradisiac Wakanda is fictionally located in Africa, we can reasonably assume the ‘Black Panther’ is indeed a Leopard.
While you lounge in our royal designs, remember that Lulo’s Crowned Panther gives you the power of a multitude of cats.
Love,
The Lulo Project Family
- G. Li, B. W. Davis, E. Eizirik, W. J. Murphy, Phylogenomic evidence for ancient hybridization in the genomes of living cats (Felidae). Genome research 26, 1-11 (2016).
- A. C. Kitchener et al., A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. Cat News, (2017).
- E. Eizirik et al., Molecular genetics and evolution of melanism in the cat family. Current biology 13, 448-453 (2003).