'Black Panther' Spotted in Kenya for the First Time in 100 Years

A wild melanistic leopard sometimes referred to as "black panther”, has been spotted in Kenya for the first time in 100 years.

The super-rare type of leopard was captured in the wilderness of Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia County by British wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas.

"The biggest challenge in this project was knowing where to put my camera traps. When I heard that a black leopard had been seen up at Laikipia Wilderness Camp in Kenya my ears pricked up and I contacted the owners Steve and Annabelle Carey to find out more,” Will says in his blog post.

The young female was spotted moving alongside a larger, normally colored leopard, believed to be her mother. 

The opposite of albinism (melanism) is the result of a gene that causes a surplus of pigment in the skin or hair of an animal thus making it appear black.

The latest capture becomes the first scientific documentation of such a creature in Africa in a century.

Nick Pilfold, a Kenyan-based biologist, says it’s curious that the fictional Kingdom of Wakanda, home of the superhero Black Panther, is located in East Africa, fairly close to Kenya.

"It's a unique coincidence," says Pilfold. 

"The only place where we have black leopards is where this place in the Marvel Universe appears to exist."