espite of the information which were to be found on the page about the "multicoloured" tigers, fascinates the image about black tigers particularly the minds. One thinks, in this connection, of other solvently black big cats, how the leopard and the Jaguar whose blacks are called taken together panther. A panther is either a black leopard or a black Jaguar. The designation of black panthers is a tautology (from Greek tauto legein: the same say) and one honour confusing as a clarifying designation, because panthers always have a black fur anyway. It is a view controversial among expert that one must call black tigers also panther. However, in every case a solvently black fur is no "must" with it e.g. a leopard as a panther is called. Also with panthers it is as a rule so that under special light or with a special angle of incidence of the sunlight still the type-original fur drawing is to be recognized. However, there also are totally solvently black fur developments with panthers, one of these very rare cases was reported by Karl Shuker. Around the confusion the crown becomes to touch down the notion panther as such also for the cougar applies. But this only on the edge.

Blacks are very generally controversial with both biggest big cats. A convincing report on an almost completely black lion from Persia exists on the archaeologist Sir Henry Leyard. Because this lion sort has become extinct today, unfortunately, one is not to be investigated any more in the position the genetic peculiarities of these tendencies. In contrast to Albinismus he becomes melanism (black colouring), however, as honour positively in regard to the selection pressure looked. Just with the nocturnal hunters how to the Jaguar the black-colored survive therefore also very well. Weißlinge would be selected on the other hand very quickly.

The word melanism comes from the Greek and meant literally black colouring translates. A black colouring of animals otherwise of a different colour or every sort of the collusion usually of bright-colored parts of the body by the partly massive deposit of Melanin. With real melanism the normal drawing sample survives in spite of collusion. One distinguishes:

• Abundismus - if new dark drawing elements appear
• Nigrismus - if only existing black drawing elements are bigger
• Skotasmus - with complete collusion

In contrast to albinos melanistische animals have exclusively black Farbpigmente in the skin. Such animals are aimed nachgezüchtet and there is not, however, enough "new" blood, so that Nachzuchttiere have healthwise no fresh gene pool by the increasing intermarriage. Problems seem to appear, as long as melanistic tigers begin puppy to have dinner independently. It should be respected at the beginning to the fact that the animals do not take too much food suddenly. Besides, they appear very sensitively be against vitamin B-lack (often a problem with garter adders with exclusive feeding with fishes). Then they show uncoordinated movements. However, this lack can be repaired with the administration of a vitamin of B-complex again. Better it is naturally not to allow to arise these symptoms at all only with the help of regular admixtures of vitamin B to the fodder or with the changeover to other fodder.

Now these introductory words should be enough to turn to us to the phenomenon or also the myth " of black tigers " nearer. Not all of the following images(illustrations) are taken from the nature, but they are treated photo-technical, but on it I will point with the concerning pictures again.

In the whole literature only six reports on black tigers are to be found, from R. I. Pocock reported. However, there is only a case which one can partly safely to proofs. He comes from a work of James Forbes. Forbes was a talented painter who worked about 1772 for Indian John Company of India. The Brash Ch. Stonor found 20sten century under a lot of water colors of Forbes a picture which a big black touched cat explained. After some investigations Stonor also found a letter of Forbes in which he described the black cat unambiguously as a tiger. He spoke from a completely black Bengal tiger who fascinated only by still blacker patrols drawing. There Forbes at no time interest showed to earn with this painting money and itself not around scientific acknowledgment one troubled, assumes that this letter and the water color are authentic in the highest masses. Forbes paintings and his letters were a long time in the possession of the Oscott-college in England. Unfortunately Forbes collection got lost. She was auctioned and in spite of intense investigations no more trace could be found. Who should find this inestimable value a day, is a very "rich" person.

(water color of William M. Rebsamen)
This water color points at least to some extent like one can introduce himself the painting created by Forbes. However, Forbes tiger is to be concluded(closed) after old notes completely black [see picture farther below].

A present of the king of Java to Napoleon was identified in 1844 as a black tiger. How after current level of knowledge is fixed, however, it was not about a tiger, but about a big leopard. Nevertheless, the knowledge of that time about big cats was still very much give, and who could travel at that time to Asia to see a "real" tiger. From the naturalist C. T. Buckland were also delivered some cases to have shot information, a completely black tiger with hunter. To want to the biggest tiger near the martial aspiration succumbed, these reports are not to be classified as definitely credibly. These reports appeared about 1889 and, therefore, are to be seen always before the background of the "hunt" of that time around records and sensations.

Near the black Bengal tiger of Forbes there is still an excessive quantity of such a tiger. From the principle the proof position is there like with Forbes, but engaged zoologists were represented there, why the incident always under a particularly critical light is considered, because the animal was never judged in itself, officially. At that time in the surroundings around Assam a definitely black tiger was probably shot (again the same sample) which did not show the smallest attempt of rigid. Alone this circumstance would be a sensation for itself (also with a panther it would still be a sensation).

The tigers living farther southerly tend generally rather to the darker fur colouring how one can understand anatomy also under the column. So the darkest fur colouring has the Sumatratiger under all still living tiger's subspecies. Therefore most reports come from south areas. From the Amur tiger is not a case reports to me is known with whom from a Schwarzling the speech is. In the fifties of the twentieth century numerous selections were effected from the surroundings of the Chinese city of Dongning by black tigers - according to reports.

Legends from the region of Vietnam also report again from very big feline animals which were black completely. One speaks farther also directly by black tigers. That's way some unities of the US also received armed forces the name " black tigers ", these unities fight against the Vietnamese keepers in camps.

It must be got straight clearly that up to current day, the body of a black tiger was never examined by the scientific institutions. There exists of the other not a single "real" photo proof of such a tiger. All of hunters the zoologist "offered" black tiger turned out as forgeries. For example, shot normalfarbene tigers became in the pool of blood lie let, so that the fur darkens. With similar situations after the prey tear by a tiger who was smeared afterwards with blood, normalfarbene tigers were held for black tigers.

It became partial even so abstractly that with forest fires died tigers "sell" on account of their difficult combustions as black tigers (this is more than ill) became. Other selection are probably smooth and simply false identifications from the twilight of the jungle or smooth and simply cock-and-bull story.

The following photographs have appeared assemblies or not naturally. They come from an American TV series from the last millennium (*g *). Therefore the pictures are not authentic.

The tiger to be seen here has the name "sultan". However, in the serie "Beastmaster" he escaped not as a black tiger, but as a panther. Why the makers took no real panther and painted instead a normal colored tiger with black color, their secret remains. However, after the statements one of the producers is likely to them the size of a panther, in regard to the title of the serie, appeared not measured. Unfortunately, sultan had to pay his involuntary scene in this serie with the life. Two years after his scenes he died. The black color her was applied around his fur he had to paint weighty skin problems to the consequence to those succumbed. This can be called only as irresponsibly by the serie management and by the male nurse of sultan that actually so a "measure" is right, is an absurdity.

A special report on a black tiger comes from India. More exactly said from Chittagong. Unfortunately, all eyewitnesses have passed away up to, therefore this proof is also not recognized zoologic. A solvently black tiger was probably met by a poisoned arrow of native hunters. In spite of the enormous amount of poison the tiger could still flee a mile. When a group of people on this report looked there next day for the dead tiger, it was also found he and was identified by the big game hunters among them unambiguously as a grown black Bengal tiger. Selections of black panthers in India are rare extremely, the fewest Indians see one at their life. One could recognize the peculiarity with their fur also with this tiger. With a certain corner of the idea light one can also recognize with panthers still the rosettes of the normally colored animal. From the found tiger it was reported that with corresponding corner also here the rigid of the original fur dress were to be recognized. By the already used decomposition it was not to be saved possibly the fur. Particularly doubtfully the statement does this report that one in the final effect does not know whether it around a very deep brown or now, nevertheless, a black acted.

However, this report is far more than one oral excessive quantity of some. With Chittagong was a British troop base. According to the old documents numerous tiger's selections were announced during the weeks before this incident which spoke unanimously from a black tiger. Also in the official documentations (even if they are meager) are found at police numerous message just sort. But it is speculated in this report also on the reasons for this fur colouring which are not durable so. It is the speech of the fact that itself by the consumption of human flesh the color and fur color of the tiger darkens what is completely unbearable. Also it is speculated on the reasons for human gobbling. This are some of the reasons, why this report is doubted as whole. The whole does not appear to the scholars to rounded and by the absence of every physical proof credibly.

Who has to glean, nevertheless, interest this report, Bombay Natural Society must trouble. In their notes on the fourth volume of 1889 on the pages 149-150 this report is to be gleaned. Unfortunately, the original is not present to me, but a similar version. Some lines come from a work of C. T. Buckland. Therefore still no zoologic proof is produced that it exist black tigers, really.

If we the notion black tigers also on tiger expand their fur strong densities shows, then we are nearer for the truth a step. It is like with the white tigers exist on whose animals with patrols and still rarer animals without patrols, also complete Weißlinge. Even if scientifically no unambiguous proof is present one can be relatively sure to itself that there are black tigers.

A special case is still known from an Indian zoo. There a solvently black tiger's puppy was born in captivity. But before it was official possibly this to stick (this would be the ultimative proof) the mother has killed her offspring and has eaten up. The normally colored brothers and sisters were spared. One supposes that the mother stood under stress and the black puppy probably had her full attention and became to him the calamity. Only the manager of the zoologic garden has prevented that the tigreses were killed to execute an autopsy to get the fur of the puppy from the stomach. This information comes from an unfortunately not more available Internet page.

The next information will let many interested now prick the ears. Scientifically is not prove that there is complete blacks of the tiger, but the existence can not be denied, at least by abundism, with tigers. In the Nationally museum of Natural History in new Delhi is issued since 1993 the fur of a tiger suffering melanism. Unfortunately, it is not to be found to me possibly a photo of this fur. So I will call on this museum with an India stay next year a visit and do a picture as far as possible.

But there was a picture source few pictures of blackened tigers offered. The following pictures come from a public FTP-server of an American university which have been passed to me by a friend to whom I am gratefully for it.

Before I say now still a few general things about the melanistischen tigers, I would like to show at this point still a jewel under the photographs of these tigers. It is about an extremely rare colored admission of a melanistischen tiger. The fur points first of all in the region around the legs and the whole backs along an extreme slope to the black colouring.

How one can recognize easily it is unambiguously about a case of Abundismus. By however still well recognizable normal fur drawing it stands out of question around a tiger acts. One can already imagine very good how such a fur can have an effect in the dusk in the jungle. However, this knowledge does not expel that there is solid blacks, like the full albinos among the tigers - just the other extreme.

Generally one can say about the vermeitlichen black tigers that these are generally smaller than the normal-colored tigers of the same subspecies. This trend is also called diminutive. However, obviously this reduction of the proportions does not walk along with a decline in physical strength. Therefore these tigers not only agile but also flink are as "normal" tigers.

All tiger skin shown on this page, all the same whether black and white or coloredly, are no cases of melanism, but abundism which is also called pseudo-melanism. It looks only so as these tigers would have a darker tonic color of the fur. In reality abundism means in these cases that the black patrols become wide extraordinarily. Partial so widely that these overlap and therefore the impression of a solvently black fur appears., however, in the body regions which can expel from nature from few patrols one the fur sample then recognize. This effect was also observed with king's cheetahs, leopards and Jaguars. Particularly interesting is the fact that this genetic abnormality is much rarer statistically than the correct melanism. That's way is statistically very likely that there is also the real melanism with tigers, although there are no confirmed reports or even proofs.

With the time one can pursue well that the number of the reports on black tigers increases constantly. Some absolutely recognized zoologists are of the opinion that the increase of the reports on black tigers is a general trend of the species Panthera tigris. There exists the theory these changes (disease?) in the Genom are an increasing adaptation to the night activity the tigers. As a reason the harmful influence of the human species is seen. By the strong hunting of the tigers by the people these become shy increasingly. Therefore an increasing misalignment of the hunt is absolutely conceivable at the night as a consequence, although the tiger was always very nocturnal. However, this explanation itself can not explain a circumstance which was also not demanded up to now by me. A lot of reports on black tigers come from the national park Simplipal.