Recently, a marvellously rare sight of a black leopard was captured by photographer and it went viral immediately on social media. The rare black leopard was captured by a 24-year-old photographer, Anurag Gawande at the Tadoba National Park in Maharashtra while the magnificent beast was crossing a road amid hunting for a deer. A black leopard is an extremely rare sight and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to click these dangerous creatures. Loved Viral Pics of Rare Black Panther by Shaaz Jung? From Kabini Forest in Karnataka to Tadoba in Maharashtra, 5 Wildlife Sanctuaries in India to Spot the Elusive Black Panthers.

Anurag Gawande captured the stunning creature in a series of photographs after waiting for two years. Indeed, a sight like that is not easy to find. However, his breathtakingly beautiful pictures have won so many hearts online who cannot believe their eyes.

Why Melanistic Leopards Are so Mysterious & Rare?

You don't often see a melanistic leopard as they are extremely rare and mysterious. So less about them is known that we don't even know the exact number of black leopards around the world. It is said that people only get a few sightings that may even occur in 100 years. Melanism is the opposite of albinism. When an animal is melanistic, a specific gene produces excess pigment in the skin or hair to make it appear black.

In leopards, while the black fur provides stealth and sneaky abilities it also impacts communication, a new research explains. The black colour variants of cats like leopards, jaguars and ocelots are known as “melanistic.” The black cats have better chances of staying camouflaged at night BUT they also warm faster in the sun and ward off certain parasites. Viral Pics of Rare Black Panther ‘Saya’ Photographer Shaaz Jung Reveals It Took Him 5 Years to Track the Beautiful Animal; Here’s a Look at Photos From Kabini Forest.

Photographer Anurag's Take on the Capture

Anurag called the experience "unique" and "like finding a needle in a haystack". He also revealed on his Instagram page that he explored lot of thrills and "some still unexplored" BUT nothing gave him "chills like this one". He calls it, "ELUSIVE and EXCLUSIVE Melanistic Panther or Leopard". He clicked the pic while he was on a safari with his mother and brother "When you watch it with open eyes, you don't see any spots - it looks totally black. Its coat was shining and even though the whole encounter lasted for about one minute, this leopard has given me the most iconic moment of my life. I was waiting for a tiger to come out of bushes as there was a strong calling of deer. As I was heading towards the hilltop, I saw two gypsy cars lined up with the leopard some moments ago," Anurag was quoted as saying by LADbible. "I waited there for about five minutes and heard the calling of sambar deer, and on the other side when suddenly the guide shouted - it was a black leopard," he added.

The leopard got scared of the vehicle's noises and ran into the bushes. When it came out after a couple of minutes, Anurag grabbed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "When it started walking, I was able to see some of its spots, and also because of its black colour, its white paw stood out. I was in search of it for the last two years. It was a dream come true moment. I was very excited but at the same time I knew it could be my first and last chance of capturing it. I calmed myself and held my camera and started capturing. It started crossing the road. The whole moment was over in one minute," he recalled.

View Pics of the Rare Black Leopard:

Recently, a Black Panther named Saya captured with his partner leopard Cleopatra in India's Kabini Forest by Wildlife Photographer Mithun H, had gone viral. The rare pic of 'The Eternal Couple' took over the internet a few weeks ago. Captured by wildlife photographer Shaaz Jung, he revealed that it is the panther named Saya, who he tracked for almost 5 years to get those wonderful pictures. As pictures of Saya still continue to charm the internet, a rare picture of Saya and his partner Cleopatra, a leopard has been shared by another photographer Mithun H. The picture is beautiful as it is indeed rare to spot the couple together. He mentions that Saya and Cleopatra have been courting since 4 years.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 04, 2020 09:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).