Ep. 378 - Mike Mayes: Shadow Cats & Other Cryptids!

August 3, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Shadow Cats and the Mystery of North America's Black Panthers

When Mike Mayes tracked down the woman who took one of the most famous black cat photographs circulating online, she didn't just confirm the story—she got angry all over again. The photo, taken in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, showed a large, long-tailed black cat walking across a pasture during a family gathering. State wildlife officials told the family it was just a house cat, that perspective had fooled them. But the woman who took the picture was adamant: "That was a big animal. That was not a house cat." Her entire family backed her up. Mayes believed them, and he used the image on the cover of his book Shadow Cats: Black Panthers in North America.

The Black Cat Phenomenon: Ubiquitous Yet Ignored

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What you'll learn

1 (01:39) **Show Introduction** - Cliff and Bobo greet each other and discuss upcoming field plans.
2 (03:33) **Guest Introduction: Mike Mayes** - The hosts welcome back Mike Mayes, author and cryptozoology researcher.
3 (04:08) **Mike's Recent Field Work & Book Projects** - Mike discusses his summer spent indoors working on two new book projects.
4 (09:48) **The Silver Swimmers of Lake Baikal** - Mike details a cryptid case involving humanoid creatures in Siberia.
5 (14:48) **Texas Cryptids & Black Cat Reports** - The conversation shifts to local Texas cryptids and the challenge of verifying black cat photos.
6 (17:29) **Classic Cases in the Black Panther Record** - Mike compares the historical record of black panthers to classic Sasquatch cases.
7 (21:38) **Cultural Prevalence of Black Panther Sightings** - Mike explains how black panther sightings are culturally embedded in some regions.

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Show Notes

Cliff Barackman, James "Bobo" Fay, and Matt Pruitt bring author, researcher, and friend Mike Mayes back to the podcast! Mike is the author of such excellent books as Shadow Cats: The Black Panthers of North America and Valley of the Apes: The Search for Sasquatch in Area X! His newest book for young readers is called Beware the Pink Gorilla.

Read a blog post about the Guelph, Ontario jaguar photo.

Watch Luke Caverns' Appalachian jaguar documentary.

Get Tickets for the Alaska Bigfoot Cruise (September 11-18) featuring Pruitt!

See Cliff and Pruitt at Cryptid Con in Florence, IN, November 21-22!

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