10 Most Amazing Melanistic Animals, Melanism is primarily a dark color in the individuals of a species. The most common form of melanism is characteristic of big cats, which in this case is called "black panthers". 1. Black Panther is a typical representative of melanistic color. In Latin America, the black panther, the jaguar is called melanistic, Asia and Africa - is a black leopard, and in North America can be found black jaguars and pumas.