First of all, it can't be a black panther, as there is no such animal. It would have to be a jaguar, and, unless someone let their pet wild cat go free, they aren't even indigenous to North America. Jaguars are native to South America. So can we please stop calling it a black panther?

Secondly,, just  look at this animal. It is obviously a black bear, which ARE indigenous to this area. Now stop frightening the children with these Big Foot categorically slated tales and find something else to keep our wives and  children up at night.

Hope Roberson

Hard to tell ... the shot is too pixelated and has poor resolution. Face/head shape, shoulder & front leg look stocky ... more like a black bear. However, IF it's a large feline, the coloration appears melanistic due to heavy shadowing. Folks who've seen an east Texas "black panther" would most likely agree that they appear almost "blue-black" and the coat is shiny, not dull. Most of the Louisiana black bears that I've seen appear to have a dirty, dull coat.