• esadatari@lemmy.world
    321·
    1 year ago

    also panther only refers to the fact that it’s a big cat from the pantera family if i am not mistaken: mountain lion, lion, jaguar, leopard, tiger

    so the people saying “what species is the pink panther” actually have a legitimate point in saying he could be a pink lion. people saying “it’s just a panther” don’t understand what they’re actually saying. it’s like, okay what kind of panther?

    • Klear@lemmy.worldEnglish
      438·
      1 year ago

      Here’s the thing. You said a “lion is a panther”

      Is it in the same genus? Yes. No one’s arguing that.

      As someone who is a scientist who studies lions, I am telling you, specifically, in science, no one calls lions panthers. If you want to be “specific” like you said, then you shouldn’t either. They’re not the same thing.

      If you’re saying “panther” you’re referring to the taxonomic grouping of Panthera, which includes things from tigers to leopards to jaguars.

      So your reasoning for calling a lion a panther is because random people “call the roaring ones panthers?” Let’s get snow leopards in there, then, too.

      Also, calling someone a human or an ape? It’s not one or the other, that’s not how taxonomy works. They’re both. A panther is a panther and a member of the panthera genus. But that’s not what you said. You said a lion is a panther, which is not true unless you’re okay with calling all members of the panthera genus panthers, which means you’d call tigers and jaguars, and other cats panthers, too. Which you said you don’t.

      It’s okay to just admit you’re wrong, you know?

      • Norgur@kbin.social
        1017·
        1 year ago

        So, before I start: I would not have said anything if you hadn’t gone all “uhm actually” in a condescending tone towards someone who’s just doing a silly little twist on the taxonomy thing on some inconsequential thread on the internet.

        Might I point your professional attention as “scientist who studies lions” to the fact that the thread is about how “Panther” is not a real species but one of two other species with a different level of melanines in their fur? Good.
        Now, would you care - in your scientific scientist way - to shift your attention to this thing you said:

        They’re both. A panther is a panther and a member of the panthera genus.

        My layman brain does the big confoosy-boosy! Isn’t the point of the whole “useless party knowledge” type post here that panthers are, in fact, not panthers because “panthers” are not a species at all?

        You said a lion is a panther,

        They said that because - and this is true - “panthera” and “panther” are the same word. “Panther” is ancient Greek while “Panthera” is Latin and -depending on how your language adopted the terms- the plural of “panther”. So an animal that belongs to the “Panthera” genus does belong to the “panther” genus, depending on the host language used. Since we already clarified that “panthers” are not a species at all, the only “panthers” are the members of the panthera genus. So yes, a lion is a panther. So is - to further ridicule your “sciency scientist”-attitude Panthera uncia. So yes, we have thrown the snow leopard in there, too.

    • CareHare@sh.itjust.works
      61·
      1 year ago

      I don’t know about that. I’m far from a biologist, but in Dutch a panther is just a synonym for a leopard, not the whole Pantera family. The word panther is more associated with the black pelt, but still only refering to the species of leopard.

  • dumptruckdan@kbin.social
    10·
    1 year ago

    The panther is like a leopard,
    Except it hasn’t been peppered.
    Should you behold a panther crouch,
    Prepare to say Ouch.
    Better yet, if called by a panther,
    Don’t anther.

    (Ogden Nash)

  • AttackBunny@lemmy.world
    91·
    1 year ago

    Literally every time I would say this, on the that other place, that I won’t name, I would get downvoted to oblivion.

    Large cats (tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards only) are part of the panthera genus. Probably where the name came from, but there is no one specific animal that is a panther.

    I guess the mountain is sometimes referred to as a panther, but it’s not accurate.

  • benpo@lemm.ee
    5·
    1 year ago

    And that’s evolution, fellas! Will the Panther become a separate species? We’ll find out in a million years.

  • mySFWaccount@lemmy.ca
    51·
    1 year ago

    Also, Jaguars are from America*, and Leopards are from Africa/Middle East.

    Edit: definitely not a lot of jaguars in North America!

    • MarmaladeMermaid@lemm.ee
      81·
      1 year ago

      Jaguars are from South America. North America has the Mountain Lion aka cougar, puma, screamer, panther or pantera concolor.

      Technically not a “big cat “ but it’s the largest of the small cats, 75 - 140 pounds.

    • jake_eric@lemmy.world
      5·
      1 year ago

      I’d say Jaguars are mainly from South and Central America. Central America is technically part of North America, but point is they’re more in the South.

  • Norgur@kbin.social
    12·
    1 year ago

    Let’s mildly interest the shit out of this one: While Black Panthers aren’t a species, the class of animals tigers and leopards and some other big cats belong to is called “Panther” (plural “Panthera”). So… Tigers are Panthers while black Panthers might not be.

      • Norgur@kbin.social
        1·
        1 year ago

        I somehow threw Jaguars in with the lynxes which would have meant that a black panther that’s acutally a Jaguar would have been a lynx. Idk what befell me there… Jaguars are Panthera, too, so my “might” is not true. Black Panthers are Panthers.