Villagers of Mullithen, near Kothagiri, about 50 km from here, noticed the carcass early this morning and alerted the forest department, they said.
District Forest Officer Shankar and Ranger Mustapha, along with some officials rushed to the spot and took possession of the carcass, police said.
The black panther, an endangered species, seems to be three to four years old. The cause behind its death will be known only after postmortem, they said.