<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Alien Big Cats (ABCs) are large, mystery felines reported in areas where such animals are not native.

They may appear to simply be known species outside of their range (such as African lions in the United States or pumas in the United Kingdom), or they may have characteristics that would be unusual anywhere (such as particularly aggressive behavior, or even more exotic elements such as vanishing in front of a witness or having glowing red eyes).

A significant percentage of these reports involve all-black animals. While melanism (stated simply, it is sort of like the opposite of being an albino) does occur in leopards (the result is called a black "panther"), it is very rare in some species (like American mountain lions, aka pumas, panthers, and so on).

Theories

• Escaped circus or zoo animals
• Escaped exotic pets
• Illegal exotic pets released to avoid prosecution
• Teleported animals
• Mistaken identity (especially large domestic cats or large dogs, like Chows)
• Surviving presumed extinct species (Loren Coleman has suggested that maned cats in the US may be Panthera atrox, a prehistoric big cat)
• Unknown species

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