Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji

Panaji, Nov 24: In a landmark scientific achievement, researchers from the Centre for Wildlife Forensics at the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Goa, have decoded the genetic secret behind the elusive ‘black panther’—a melanistic form of the Indian leopard.

For years, the exact mutation causing the leopard’s iconic black coat remained a mystery, even within scientific circles. Now, for the first time in India, a comprehensive genomic study has identified the p.C117F mutation in the Agouti Signalling Protein (ASIP) gene as the key driver of melanism in the species.

The breakthrough emerged after the team conducted an in-depth study on a melanistic leopard rescued in Goa. The findings draw a genetic connection between the Indian leopard and the Sri Lankan leopard, offering new insights into their evolutionary history.

The research was led by assistant professors Abhishek Singh and Sweta Nidhi from NFSU, with the study — Integrated genomic and structural dissection of melanism in Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) — recently published in an international scientific journal.

“A small change in a single gene leads to the leopard’s black coat color,” Singh explained, highlighting the mutation’s crucial role. The work, initiated in 2023, culminated in November 2025 when the Indian leopard genome was sequenced for the first time, said researcher Avijit Ghosh.

Nidhi added that modern DNA sequencing and advanced computational analysis have proven extremely effective in studying melanistic wildlife in regions like the Western Ghats, marking the study as an important step in leopard conservation efforts in Goa.
The project was guided by NFSU Goa campus director Naveen Kumar Choudhary and dean (Academics) Lokesh Chouhan.

According to the researchers, the destabilising nature of the mutation highlights its adaptive significance under specific ecological pressures. The study also emphasises the need for future research involving population-level assessments, ecological studies, and additional molecular investigations to support wildlife conservation and evolutionary biology.

Melanism has long fascinated evolutionary scientists, and this pioneering research offers crucial clarity, strengthening India’s wildlife conservation strategies while unlocking one of nature’s most captivating genetic mysteries.