Become a Big Furry Friends V.I.P. We bring you the world’s most luxurious handmade stuffed plush animals.  Not just great personal gifts, these beautiful pieces make great mascots, corporate gifts, and display pieces for homes, offices, theatre, commercial and movie props. Collectors young and old agree these are keepsakes for a lifetime! A black panther is a large black cat. Black panthers are melanistic colour variants of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars (Panthera onca), in Asia and Africa black leopards (Panthera pardus), and in North America may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars (Puma concolor – although this has not been proven to have a black variant), or smaller cats.      Black panthers are also reported as cryptids in areas such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, and for these (if they do exist) the species is not known. Captive black panthers may be black jaguars, or more commonly black leopards. Black panthers have sometimes been regarded as forming different species from their normally-colored relatives. The name "panther" is often limited to the black variants of the species, but also refers to those that are normally-colored (tawny or spotted), or to white color variants: white panthers.      Melanism in the jaguar (Panthera onca), is conferred by a dominant allele, and in the leopard (Panthera pardus) by a recessive allele. Close examination of the color of these black cats will show that the typical markings are still there, but are hidden by the excess black pigment melanin, giving an effect similar to that of printed silk. Melanistic and non-melanistic animals can be littermates. Albino or leucistic individuals of the same species are known as white panthers.      It is thought that melanism may confer a selective advantage under certain conditions since it is more common in regions of dense forest, where light levels are lower. Recent, preliminary studies also suggest that melanism might be linked to beneficial mutations in the immune system.      In Florida, a few melanistic bobcats have been captured; these have also apparently been mistaken for panthers. Ulmer (1941) presents photographs and descriptions of two animals captured in Martin County in 1939 and 1940. In the photographs, they appear black, and one of the hunters called them black. Many "black panther" sightings have also come from Georgia and South Carolina as recent as 2006. The Academy specimen, upon close examination, is far from black. The most heavily pigmented portions are the crown and dorsal area. In most lights these areas appear black, but at certain angles the dorsal strip has a decidedly mahogany tint. The mahogany coloring becomes lighter and richer on the sides. The underparts are lightest, being almost ferruginous in color. The chin, throat and cheeks are dark chocolate-brown, but the facial stripes can be seen clearly. The limbs are dark mahogany. In certain lights the typical spot-pattern of the Florida bobcat can be distinctly seen on the side, underparts and limbs. The Bronx Park animal appears darker and the spots are not visible, although the poor light in the quarantine cage may have been the reason.      Adult male bobcats are 28–47 inches (71–120 cm) long, with a short, bobbed tail, and are 18–24 inches (46–61 cm) tall at the shoulder. Females are slightly smaller. Florida panthers are 23–32 inches (58–81 cm) at the shoulder and 5–7 feet (1.5–2.1 m) long, including the tail. Bobcats weigh 16–30 pounds (7.3–14 kg) while Florida panthers are 50–150 pounds (23–68 kg).      Another possible explanation for black panther sightings is the jaguarundi, a cat very similar genetically to the cougar, which grows to around 30 inches (76 cm) long with an additional 20 inches (51 cm) of tail. Their coat occurs in a reddish-brown phase and a dark grey phase. While their acknowledged natural range ends in southern Texas, a small breeding population was introduced to Florida in the 1940s, and there are rumors of people breeding them as pets there as well. In Central America, they are known as relatively docile pets, as far as non-domesticated animals go. The male jaguarundi's home range can be up to 100 square kilometres (40 sq mi) while the female's home range can be up to 20 square kilometres (8 sq mi). It has been suggested that very small populations of jaguarundi, which rarely venture out of deep forests, are responsible for many or most of the supposed black cougar sightings. While they are significantly smaller than a cougar, differently colored, and much lower to the ground (many note a resemblance to the weasel), memory bias could explain many of the sightings in the southeastern U.S.      Another possibility would be the black jaguar, which ranged into North America in historical memory. Melanistic jaguars are uncommon in nature and, significantly, jaguars in general were persecuted to near- extinction in the 1960s. Though they do not look exactly like cougars, they have the requisite size. The jaguar has had several (photographically) confirmed, and many unconfirmed, sightings in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and southwest Texas, but not beyond that region. About Piutrè Welcome to the Piutrè Animal Collection, the finest collection of realistic plush animals in the world. Originally designed in Italy by master toy artisan Riccardo Chiavetta, the animals in the Piutrè Collection faithfully replicate their real-life counterparts in form, coloring, dimensions, and expression. Each piece is sewn, shaped, and finished entirely by hand in Italy, using the finest European-made materials, resulting in a beautiful keepsake animal to treasure for a lifetime. A Legend Reborn . . . These astonishingly realistic animals are hand-made in Italy using the original patterns and models created by Riccardo Chiavetta in the late 1970s and early 1980s for Jockline, an Italian firm that came to be known the world over for its highly realistic—often life-size—plush renditions of dogs, cats, and other animals. Many of the Jockline animals were marketed in the United States under the Avanti trade name, though in later years Wallace Berrie Company, Inc., shifted production of some of the Jockline-designed animals to Korea. Jockline failed in 1991. The Italian-made Jockline animals from this era are highly prized by collectors. Today, in Italy, the family that made the original Jockline animals is doing so once again, with the same uncompromising artistry and craftsmanship. A highly skilled artist is responsible for each animal and personally sees each one—from the tiniest mouse to life-size polar bears—through all the exacting details of the production process. Only when an artist is completely satisfied that a Piutré animal has been superbly executed does he or she tag and package it—in essence, a gift to the individual who will ultimately touch and treasure it. This is your chance to acquire an irresistible treasure that’s destined to be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come. Extraordinary. Exquisite. And exclusively yours. Myer Black Panther Handmade in Italy by Piutre Item Number:  2522 Size:  15.7 inches / 40 centimeters $ 163.00 Luxury All our animals are hand-made from the finest plush stuffed animal artisans in the world. They are life-like, some lifesize and all realistic with careful attention to detail. They make an impressive gift, whether corporate or personal, but also make a statement as a corporate mascot or display at your company’s headquarters. Our plush animals are used for staging homes for sale, creating themed weddings, conventions and events where these furry friends add a real ‘wow factor’. Our life-like plush stuffed animals have also been used in museums, as well as theatrical props in movies, commercials and on live stage productions all over the world. What is contained here is a sampling of what our artisans have to offer - If you can imagine it, we can create it for you! Photography Studio Props  - Interior design  Staging for home rental or sale Non-taxidermy Props for Commericals, Television, Movies and Theatre Stage  Museum displays Themed Decor for weddings, parties, corporate events Corporate gift ideas and Mascots, College and other school Mascots, Luxury  gifts for, friends, family or yourself.  Luxurious Costumes for Carnevale, Halloween and dress-up. Corporate Branding If we don’t have it, we can  create it just for you    You deserve the Very Best