Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America

by Michael Mayes

Overview

SOMETHING IS OUT THERE... For generations, residents from coast to coast have reported encounters with large, black, long-tailed cats. These black panthers have left a trail of dead livestock and confused witnesses in their wake. These are animal that are not supposed to exist; animals that are not recognized by science. Despite the reluctance of wildlife officials to accept the reality of these cryptid cats, anomalous tracks continue to appear, pets and farm animals continue to disappear, and sightings continue to be reported.

In this full-color book, Michael Mayes examines historical sightings, interviews contemporary witnesses and big cat experts, sorts through a host of intriguing photographs, and takes a close look at the potential suspects in one of America's most enduring unsolved mysteries. What are the shadow cats that haunt the woods, bottomlands, and waterways of our country? What are the black panthers of North America?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781949501025
Publisher:	Anomalist Books
Publication date:	08/28/2018
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

MICHAEL MAYES has investigated, for the past 15 years, sightings of both out-of-place known animals and those that may, or may not, exist. He has appeared on numerous podcasts and radio programs, and on The Lowe Files on the A&E network. Michael blogs at the Texas Cryptid Hunter and is author of the illustrated children's book, Patty: A Sasquatch Story.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dr. Angelo Capparella

Author’s Note

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 – A Matter of Semantics

Chapter 2 – Historical Accounts and Folklore

Chapter 3 – Contemporary Black Panther Accounts

Chapter 4 – Is There Enough Suitable Habitat?

Chapter 5 – Zeroing In

Chapter 6 – The Suspects: Jaguar

Chapter 7 – The Suspects: Cougar

Chapter 8 – The Suspects: Jaguarundi

Chapter 9 – The Suspects: Giant Feral Cats

Chapter 10 – The Suspects: Escaped Exotics

Chapter 11 – The Science Behind Melanism

Chapter 12 – Photographic Evidence

Chapter 13 – The Texas Hair Samples

Chapter 14 – The Experts Weigh in

Chapter 15 – What to Make of it All

Acknowledgements

Sightings Appendix

References and Citations

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

“Mayes brings a refreshingly scientific and analytical perspective to the gathering of extensive data and the assessment of large black cat sightings...this book will be of interest to academic zoologists as well as their cousins in cryptozoology.” — Angelo Capparella, Ph.D., Illinois State University

"This is one of the best studies of the ... phenomenon in the United States that I have read...You too can learn a great deal from Mayes’ investigative techniques, his approach to the witnesses, and his careful analyses of the photographic evidence. Shadow Cats is a very good, solid study undertaken by a man with a deep enthusiasm for his subject-matter." — Nick Redfern, Mysterious Universe

"Mayes deserved congratulations for this bringing this book to print...there is no comprehensive volume on this topic so it deserved to be tackled...Mayes has a hair sample from a reported car collision but can’t get any experts willing to examine it. This is a shame. I do hope someone will step up and take a look...[the book] adopted a logical progression that was natural and comprehensible – exactly the approach that should be used to communicate to a lay audience...This volume usefully fills a niche in modern cryptozoological literature." — Sharon Hill

"It's a hard-to-put-down investigation of the black panther mystery. Two paws up!" — Sean Whitley, director of the documentary Southern Fried Bigfoot

"This is one of the only books I know of that examines the North American black panther mystery as a whole, and it is an excellent resource to those interested in the subject." — Tyler Houck, Tyler's CryptoZoo

From the Publisher