Received the latest issue of Cat News (IUCN Cat Specialist Group) which has a short news article with two camera trap photos. The article is not available online but I found the same photos posted here:Holidayhomeindia Blog Archive Melanistic Leopard Cat
The different marbling patterns on the lower part reveal they are two different cats. The IUCN article describes them as melanistic, which I think may not be technically correct, at least as manner in which melanism usually reveals itself. I think this is a case of hyperabundism (at least that is the term I remember - could be wrong) which has also appeared on a few tiger skins from Orissa. That is where the spots (in this case, or the stripes in a tiger's case) are so thick that they join to form a solid black area. But in the areas they do not join, the normal color still shows through. A truly melanistic leopard cat (as I understand melanism) would be black all the way around, even on the belly, with slightly darker black spots visible in bright light.
The different marbling patterns on the lower part reveal they are two different cats. The IUCN article describes them as melanistic, which I think may not be technically correct, at least as manner in which melanism usually reveals itself. I think this is a case of hyperabundism (at least that is the term I remember - could be wrong) which has also appeared on a few tiger skins from Orissa. That is where the spots (in this case, or the stripes in a tiger's case) are so thick that they join to form a solid black area. But in the areas they do not join, the normal color still shows through. A truly melanistic leopard cat (as I understand melanism) would be black all the way around, even on the belly, with slightly darker black spots visible in bright light.