Cougar coloring is plain ( hence the Latin concolor ) but can vary greatly between individuals and even between siblings . The coat is typically tawny , but range to silvery @-@ grey or reddish , with lighter patches on the underbody , including the jaws , chin , and throat . Infants are spotted and born with blue eyes and rings on their tails ; juveniles are pale , and dark spots remain on their flanks . Despite anecdotes to the contrary , all @-@ black coloring ( melanism ) have never been documented in cougars . The term " black panther " is used colloquially to refer to melanistic individuals of other species , particularly jaguars and leopards .