Believe me...I'm not doubting the existance of large black cats. There are plenty out there. It's just that every one of them is either a leopard or a juaguar and not a cougar. In fact leopards have been selectively bred to be black in captivity for the pet trade. You have to admit it's a little tough to swallow when someone says they have seen a blackCOUGAR yet every known biologist, zoo and large cat expert in all of North America collectively have yet to see a single one. Either wild or captive. As for the guys who would whoop my a$$ for calling them a liar...well...that's a whole other thread. All I'm saying is that if someone says they saw a large black cat then they saw a large black cat...it's just that I feel the odds are in my favor that it's not a cougar.