Noon hour news today states that a large BLACK cougar was spotted nearby my usual stomping grounds- seen by several witnesses and while in the process of "capturing a large rodent."

A black cougar? Is that a known colour variation or are we getting a little silly here? And the fact that the witnesses couldn't even identify the rodent victim makes me wonder if it wasn't a black labrador retreiver, if a mouse a black house cat, or perhaps it was even a free pet panther someone got tired of/eaten by.