Received the latest issue of Cat News (IUCN Cat Specialist Group) which has a short news article with two camera trap photos. The article is not available online but I found the same photos posted here:Holidayhomeindia Blog Archive Melanistic Leopard Cat The different marbling patterns on the lower part reveal they are two different cats. The IUCN article describes them as melanistic, which I think may not be technically correct, at least as manner in which melanism usually reveals itself. I think this is a case of hyperabundism (at least that is the term I remember - could be wrong) which has also appeared on a few tiger skins from Orissa. That is where the spots (in this case, or the stripes in a tiger's case) are so thick that they join to form a solid black area. But in the areas they do not join, the normal color still shows through. A truly melanistic leopard cat (as I understand melanism) would be black all the way around, even on the belly, with slightly darker black spots visible in bright light.
