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The Black Leopard is not, in fact, a species of its own. Instead, Black Leopards are the result of a gene which causes extra melanin to be produced, causing the Black Leopard to come out, well, black. The normal markings of a leopard are still present on the Black Leopard, they’re just washed out by the extra melanin. Around 11% of all leopards are Black Leopards. Black Leopards can occur in 5 of the 9 known Leopard subspecies, and appear in very different proportions in each subspecies. Since the gene that causes the black coloration is recessive, it is possible for two Black Leopards to have a normal colored offspring. This cannot occur for Black Panthers, whose melanin gene is dominant.