The head of the puma is small in comparision to a house cat when compared to the entire body. These experiences are still available, but the reality is there is so much more for the mature traveler to enjoy in the Pocono Mountains. The bones were found perfectly preserved. However, recently I saw a photo of a melanistic bobcat, as black as could be, with bright yellow eyes. One of the important things for any animal is a place to call home. This is huge news for conservationists around the country and a sign that cougars may be heading east once again. A second image of the same cat, in a different light, reveals the trademark spots of a bobcat. Many of the reports I receive are extremely credible. the more visible white on the chest, the lack of spots, the huge hind quarters. The other site, The Cougar Network, is still active, and is reporting the cats expanding range from the West, but offers little about the phenomenon of Pennsylvania cats. I'm a photographer, yet I've never had a chance to snap a photograph of one of these bears. I love the big cats and devote a huge amount of my field time photographing African lions, leopards, cheetahs, and in 2011, tigers. Still, people say they know what they saw out there. Over time, cats that had been released in Florida, probably pets that outlived their welcome, bred with the native puma, and their genes mingled, Over the last few years I've done several Questions of the Month regarding Mountain Lions, or Pumas as they should properly be called, in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Pennsylvania. Today, we are going to explore the 15 US states that have mountain lions, plus a few others that may have some. I've seen about 20 mountain lions, or pumas, in the field, but all but 2 were in Chile. Wyoming has a historically stable population of mountain lions, but recent drops in numbers have caused some to worry. The mountain lion, which is also called a cougar, puma or panther, weighs on average between 75-120 pounds, has long whiskers and a distinctive swooping tail. They are generally believed to be young cats roaming in search of new breeding territories to claim as their own. However, it is clearly a mountain lion, and I'm presenting this poor image as a baseline reference for anyone recording a mountain lion on a game camera, or seeing one. The state of Idaho is large, expansive, and full of rocky wilderness. RelatedBigfoot, mountain lions, and other mythical creatures: PA officials discuss what they know. Here's more about mountain lions in Pennsylvania: If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Then there is Rocky. But more importantly, he also said that regardless of color, he saw a big cat, with a tail that looked to be about 4 feet long! Penn State's Nittany Lion hide sampled for DNA sequencing, Mountain lion reports in Pennsylvania popular, but often a hoax, More Local News to Love Start today for 50% off Expires 3/6/23. One might argue that the eastern puma is extinct, but that does not mean that there are not pumas (mountain lions, cougars) in the east. Most of my original Questions of the Month for the last several Let me explain this. In his 1973 book "Faces in Clay" Leslie lays open the archaeological treasures of stone arrow or spear points and tools lost long ago by a succession of native peoples. As the latest hoaxed photo of a mountain lion supposedly killed in Pennsylvania died a slow death on Facebook yesterday, the head of an organization tracking the eastern movements of the big cats was preparing a presentation for a Pennsylvania audience tonight. The claim of mountain lions on the move was bolstered in 2009 when one was killed by a car in Greenwich, Conn. Me? Periodically, via Google searches, I receive reports from people who believe they had seen a mountain lion in Pennsylvania, or in other mid-Atlantic states. Among other uses, the tax was levied "for destroying wolves, foxes, heads and crows." do I get an immediate, 'Oh yeah!' Only once has anyone later determined that they had misidentified the cat, seeing a bobcat and not a mountain lion. If we continue to be bombarded with manipulated photos and untrue claims in most cases by people who just want to get attention then we may be very resistant to accepting the "real McCoy" if or when) one finally arrives. Despite reported sightings throughout the East, including Pennsylvania, and a confirmed mountain lion killed in Connecticut in 2011, there has been no evidence that any of those cats were native . However, my friend and I discussed this, and agreed, we saw what we saw, and had it been 40 years ago or four months ago, we knew we saw a coyote. I think it is possible that recognizing the existence of pumas in the East could jeopardize this industry and an entire economy. redo these pages to match the new web site But that's not Leap transferred ownership rights to the state. The Pocono Mountains are located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. "The day will come," he said, "when someone will pull the trigger on a mountain lion.". Imagine my surprise. If youve done any research on your own, you may have noticed that we didnt include a lot of states that have had cougar sightings, especially in the last few years. These color morphs are most common in rain forests and jungles. Unfortunately, their web site no longer seems active, and has been taken over by some wacky drug product. I regularly ask hunters and outdoors people if they've ever seen a mountain lion, or know of anyone that has. Although size can be difficult to determine in the field, a puma will be three or four times larger than a bobcat. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more . However, if you've seen a mountain lion, or other mystery creature, or evidence of either, in Pennsylvania, contact outdoor writer Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.). Cougar Network tracks mountain lion expansion from the western U.S. to the east. Over the last few months several people have responded to this question with reports of their own. Does the mountain lion roam Pa? - Pocono Record "They preyed upon the caribou, and probably the mastodon," Leslie wrote of these large animals flourishing on the grasses and cold-climate flora that sprouted following the glacier's retreat. Sadly, the hunting guidelines for cougars in Idaho are lax, with 400-600 cats being killed each year. The 2,400-square-mile area has long been a popular outdoor recreation area boasting hunting, fishing, skiing, and more. Local outlets carried reports of cougar encounters at least into the 1910s. Did they migrate south from Canada? Granted, the image is not great, and I used some Photoshop adjustment layers to enhance the image, making it a bit easier to see. I'll offer my own little anecdote. Mountain Lions do remain in the western states and there is evidence that in 2011, a mountain lion migrated about 1,500 miles from South Dakota to Connecticut where it was killed by a. I want to believe they're here, but I'm having some trouble. There are approximately 4,000 of those 10- to 40-pound cats in the state. But more and more people in Pennsylvania, from the Alleghenies to the Poconos to rolling farmlands in York County, claim they are seeing the big cats here, even though the state's "last" native lion, also known as a cougar or puma, was shot and killed in Berks County in 1871 and the feds have declared the Eastern subspecies extinct. If we don't see it, it doesn't exist. This ideal habitat allows for a large population of 2,000 mountain lions to thrive. What does a Mountain Lion look like on a game camera? In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. Mountain lions were once widespread across North America, but their range shrunk dramatically as they were pursued through unregulated hunting and by farmers aiming to protect their livestock, and moved off the landscape by habitat fragmentation. You've got a mountain lion story or photo? Compare any game camera image with the shots above, or this game camera image, to confirm your identification. I receive about one email or phone call a month, on average, from people that I do not know who are contacting me because their sighting compelled them to do a Google search on puma sightings, and they found my site and previously posted questions. These powerful, majestic creatures once lived across much of the country but have since been killed or pushed out of most of it. I don't know if a Game Commission authority has actually said this or not, but people I've spoken to have reported this. Did they migrate south from Canada? The Florida panther is an endemic subspecies of cougar that has lived in the everglades region for a very long time. Like Arizona, New Mexico is the perfect home for mountain lions. The skeleton was reassembled at the State Museum, where it has been on display ever since. Nevertheless, I put up a MOULTRIE game camera -- a brand that I've had tremendous satisfaction with -- at the carcass, hoping that scavengers would visit. Mountain lions typically eat about one deer per week, along with other smaller prey as the opportunity arises. Discover the Little-Known U.S. River Gorge That's, The 9 Best Books About National Parks for Travelers, mountain lions seem to be making a comeback. I can't dismiss the eye-witnesses I've interviewed. They know what they saw, regardless of what the facts say, and they know they saw a puma. Scientists debate whether the large prehistoric mammals became extinct at the end of the Ice Age due to over-hunting, or rapid climate warming. Melanism is the reverse, where there is an abundance of dark or black pigmentation. Apparently, this picture was really making the rounds. Most of the native mountain lions live in Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park, but humans rarely ever see them due to their secretive nature. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Like Rocky, Nia is declawed. The coat can be spotted or solid. (570) 325-3229. Florida is the only state on the east coast with a breeding population of mountain lions. Here's an example: A man is holding a dead eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which was found in North Carolina and measured more than 9 feet long and weighed 95 pounds. In 2011, a confirmed mountain lion was killed by a vehicle in Connecticut and which had been determined that it had wandered east from the Mid-West. But the point of this article isn't whether or not mountain lions exist in Pennsylvania or the Poconos. Is there a Puma conspiracy? Where they always here as a relic population? In personal contacts, that monthly average might even be higher. Here are the 15 US States That Have Mountain Lions - AZ Animals In the area around the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia there are mountains and deep caves that contain some of the coal mines that were a major part of the state's industry in the early part of the 19 th century. Perhaps my Fed Ex driver was simply recalling a rural legend, but he said it was an employee that he knew, and it was a story he heard first-hand. "They're getting a lot of that out west. Since mountain lions are the top predators (unlike most other states with grizzly bears), they have a well-developed population. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. He's sitting in a plastic doghouse, paws crossed, amber eyes locked on the two men ticking him off by their mere presence out beyond the fence. A bobcat gives you a warm, that-kind-of-looks-like-my-cat-but-slightly-bigger feeling. For information on predator tracks, check out this guide: https://www.wildliferemoval.com/animal-track-identification-guide/, Please keep scrolling - ALL the Puma posts are included. The photographer had no reason to stage the shot -- indeed, the composition and background was terrible, and not what you'd expect for something staged, but the shot wasn't perfectly clear. This is actually a good thing, as genetic isolation generally weakens a species. In Michigan, there has been multiple sightings of 'black panthers,' animals that were thought to be mountain lions, or pumas, except that they were black. The State Museum of Pennsylvania, in Harrisburg, displays a taxidermy mount of a mountain lion in glass case, with the notation, "This lion, found near Hawk Mountain in Berks County around 1871, is the last native mountain lion known to have been shot in Pennsylvania.". ARE THERE MOUNTAIN LIONS IN PA? - Page 8 - Pennsylvania Firearm Owners He saw a big cat. For our list, we only included US states with a stable breeding population. Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. It wasn't, and I assumed it was a road-kill. "When I started telling people, most of them didn't believe me, but I will never forget that huge face staring right at me," said a Montgomery County woman who says she saw a lion last summer in Limerick Township while walking her dog. What the Lenape Indians never did, the European colonists and their descendants did swiftly eradicate the wolf and cougars viewed as a menace to their families and livestock. (National Park Service). That solution: Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. On the other hand, there are probably thousands of game cameras covering water holes and game trails throughout Pennsylvania, and to my knowledge no one has yet recorded a puma. Biologists who investigate these reports claim that several may, indeed, be mountain lions, but most likely they're animals that have escaped from captivity or have been released by their owners. Pocono Mountains - Wikipedia Are mountain lions on their way to Pennsylvania? - pennlive.com "While confirmed cougar sightings have occurred recently in the wild in the East, there is currently no scientific or physical evidence documenting the continued existence of a population of wild eastern cougars," according to the U.S.
Cities That Allow Roosters,
The Farmhouse Wedding And Event Space Sarver, Pa,
Suncook River Swimming,
Mcmillen Jacobs Associates Salary,
Articles A