UPDATE—Texas "Black Panther" JUST Hit By a Car: Time to Solve The Mystery?

UPDATE: While adding tags to my articles, I somehow made this article appear as the newest post. I have no clue what I did, so I figured it would be easier just to make this article an update. I have received full permission from amateur naturalist and cryptozoologist Mike Mayes to share the preliminary results of hair samples which were given to him by a man who claims to have hit a black panther with his car. I covered this story in February, and it had been originally shared by Mr. Mayes on the Texas Cryptid Hunter blog. The witness (who claimed to have hit the animal near Madisonville, Texas) had collected black hair from the bumper and grill of his car. Mike Mayes had received the hair samples and sent them for microscopic analysis. Mike recently informed me about the exciting preliminary results, which indicate that the hair is not from a domestic cat, a dog, or a pig. Structurally, the hair most closely resembles black leopard hair! This is a very intriguing conclusion, and Mike has informed me that he will be writing a more detailed article on the results soon. Please watch for this article at texascryptidhunter.blogspot.com.
My article from Feburary which covered this story is below:
Mike Mayes (a great Texas cryptid hunter) received a black panther report on this Thursday, from a man who claimed to have struck the cat with his car in Texas. The following is the man's report:
"Last night I was traveling back from Houston to Dallas on the back roads to avoid traffic. Around 9pm I was on HWY 90 south of Madisonville and hit a large black cat with my car. The animal was by my estimation about 80lbs and bigger than my English Springer Spaniel. I was traveling about 70mph with high beams on, it was clear, and I could see fine. But suddenly from the left side of the road it appeared and stopped just in front of the car, and turned to look at me.
There appeared to be embankments on each side of the road and I discounted swerving or going in to the ditch to avoid it, So I hit the brakes hard. As I did the animal turned to face me and I saw clearly two blue eyes reflected back at me by my lights, and a clear feline face and large body. I think by the time I hit it the car had slowed to about 30-35 mph. There was a thud on impact, but I didn’t “run over it”, I think it went under the car. I pulled over about 50 yards farther and paused to take a look at the damage on my car. The front quarter panel was torn up and there was some fluids leaking and I noted some vapor clouds that smelled of radiator coolant. I determined that I needed to get in to town ASAP before the car was no longer drivable. When in town I assessed the damage and had to tie up parts and put extra fluid in the car and was eventually able to “nurse” it back to Dallas where I live. When I got home my wife and I did some research and I am convinced I saw and hit a black panther. I grew up in the Huntsville Area and as a teen heard stories of people seeing them in the area. This morning just before the care was towed away I inspected it again and found a collection of long semi-soft black hairs that had become stuck in the plastic, I have these and put them in a baggie. I am writing this to you to ask for any insight or ideas on how I can determine if in deed this was a black panther or if my eyes deceived me and it was perhaps a wild hog, or possibly a coyote. I am so sure that the face and head was that of a large feline, and I am mad now that I didn’t try to go look in the ditch for it, but I feared my car was failing and didn’t want to tangle with a large wounded animal should I find it.
Ideas?"

Mike is unable to try to retrieve the body, as he is caught up with work. However, he has received more information on the location from the witness. He has also made a "call to arms" to retrieve the body. So if you are anywhere near where the witness describes in the following quote, please try to find the body (if there is one):
"The location was on Hwy 90, south of Madisonville, and just north of the County Road 106 cut off. As best I can recall, I know I had just crossed some small bridge and it the road side was dropping off sharp, or appeared when I saw the animal which , and looking at the maps on Google, I think the incident happened somewhere between the two little bridges you can see on Google maps."

Animals looking like black panthers have been reported throughout North America, and it has become a great cryptozoological mystery. Suggestions for the origins of these creatures have included escaped black panthers, misidentifications of domestic black dogs and cats, melanistic mountain lions (what I personally think is the most likely), and even relic populations of Panthera atrox! But this mystery could be solved, and hundreds of eyewitnesses proven not crazy, if someone retrieves the body. So if you are anywhere near Madisonville, PLEASE go try to find the body (and bring gloves, a camera, and a bag/tarp for the animal's body). If you find it, PLEASE contact Mike at his site (http://texascryptidhunter.blogspot.com/?m=0) and keep the body somewhere safe, as it may just be one of the greatest zoological discoveries of recent history!


Please visit Mike's blog: www.texascryptidhunter.blogspot.com

Works Cited:
-"Texas Cryptid Hunter: Black Panther Struck By Car: A Call To Arms." Texas Cryptid Hunter: Black Panther Struck By Car: A Call To Arms. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2013. http://texascryptidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/02/black-panther-struck-by-car-call-to-arms.html.