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ldsailor
09-09-2019, 12:43
This picture was taken in the Wolf Laurel area. Wolf Laurel is a mountain community, which is walking distance from Big Bald (mile 325 NOBO). Below is a partial of the text that accompanied the Facebook post. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220567700648723&set=a.1874918038913&type=3&theater)

"Wolf Laurel Community....this is not to frighten you but rather to give you a heads up that the mountain lion is back in the neighborhood in and around El Miner and the ski lodge. He has been picked up on my camera three times within the last couple of weeks, was seen by my neighbor and a baby deer was killed this morning on the road near the ski lodge. I have no small animals left in or around my yard including chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits...all gone. This one appears to be young as he still has some markings on his tail and legs which means there could be more than one in the area."


There is some argument within the Wolf Laurel community as to whether this is really a mountain lion or a domestic cat. Whatever the case may be, apparently there are some small animals disappearing, which indicates something is out there.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/68542631_10220567700688724_1581680298695852032_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_oc=AQnOxe8nj91rPW7FgNEIgLEmtO6hlN-grlraZosFFJd074-jBKKI52mZIRcZPOWgRh8&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=b0f0d9417d09da37a7cf431710ecf301&oe=5E1123F9

grubbster
09-09-2019, 13:00
Looks like a house cat to me. No scale objects to say otherwise. Here fluffy!

TNhiker
09-09-2019, 13:18
Yeah....

without scale---this is just fear mongering....

my guess is that a coyote---which is more common---is why other animals are disappearing...

HeartFire
09-09-2019, 13:21
tail is too short for mountain lion.

gpburdelljr
09-09-2019, 15:32
House cat. Doesn’t look even vaguely like a mountain lion.

SawnieRobertson
09-09-2019, 15:43
Ears are pointy. Head carriage is too high. As mentiond, tail is much too short. Better study up on these felines. They even have their own distinctive vocals. Long live Travis Kaufman!!!

Feral Bill
09-09-2019, 15:47
Meow!.................

SawnieRobertson
09-09-2019, 16:32
Haha. A meow of sorts can be. heard in their howl.
Meow!.................

JG13
09-09-2019, 16:38
LOL...textbook tabby cat. The scourge of Wolf Laurel

Christoph
09-09-2019, 17:25
Most likely a regular cat or at most a small bobcat. My guess is a regular cat. What's more interesting is what's that reflection (light?) in the background?

Mother Natures Son
09-09-2019, 17:33
Now if we could teach that Cat to get rid of those pesky shelter mice!

gpburdelljr
09-09-2019, 17:52
Most likely a regular cat or at most a small bobcat. My guess is a regular cat. What's more interesting is what's that reflection (light?) in the background?

Definitely not a bobcat, the tail is too long. House cat.

blue indian
09-09-2019, 18:57
House cat.....lol.

Berserker
09-10-2019, 13:47
Man, everyone is ruining all the fun here...this is how urban legends get started such as the Lizard Man in SC, the Hodag in WI or the Chupacabra.

It looks to me like it's about 7' tall with a cat body and wolf head :D

ldsailor
09-10-2019, 14:03
Well now I'm wondering if I should burst the Facebook poster's bubble and let her know what a bunch of experienced hikers think.

TwistedCF
09-10-2019, 15:56
The ground clutter is a good indication of size but even without that it is obviously a house cat. Tail is too long for a Bobcat, too short for a Mountain Lion and the ears are wrong for either of those. Pictures of the dead doe would have filled in some blanks. The state of the carcass could tell if it was taken by disease, a poacher, an automobile, dogs, coyotes, bear.........Sasquatch. Whatever it was, the kitty in that photo didn't take down the doe.

TNhiker
09-10-2019, 18:58
Well now I'm wondering if I should burst the Facebook poster's bubble and let her know what a bunch of experienced hikers think.



I read through the original FB post and trust me, even the layman has burst her bubble...

HeartFire
09-11-2019, 08:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlht31L3ERQ
This is a great video of some mountain lions in Colorado -

ldsailor
09-11-2019, 11:13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlht31L3ERQ
This is a great video of some mountain lions in Colorado -
Yikes! If I lived there, I wouldn't be out on that beautiful deck without some kind of protection. The cats had to see the man filming, which makes me wonder if they have no fear of man.

Feral Bill
09-11-2019, 13:55
They seem like they were enjoying themselves, and were well behaved guests. Young, i assume.

FrogLevel
09-14-2019, 19:54
Man, everyone is ruining all the fun here...this is how urban legends get started such as the Lizard Man in SC, the Hodag in WI or the Chupacabra.

It looks to me like it's about 7' tall with a cat body and wolf head :D

As someone who hikes and camps alone in this area SCREW YOU haha. Now I gotta worry about THIS in addition to the aliens.

CaptainDudeman
09-18-2019, 20:15
The head size to body ratio is that of a house cat.

Mountain lions have "little" heads and long-ish necks relative to their body size.

Gambit McCrae
09-19-2019, 09:23
This picture was taken in the Wolf Laurel area. Wolf Laurel is a mountain community, which is walking distance from Big Bald (mile 325 NOBO). Below is a partial of the text that accompanied the Facebook post. (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10220567700648723&set=a.1874918038913&type=3&theater)

"Wolf Laurel Community....this is not to frighten you but rather to give you a heads up that the mountain lion is back in the neighborhood in and around El Miner and the ski lodge. He has been picked up on my camera three times within the last couple of weeks, was seen by my neighbor and a baby deer was killed this morning on the road near the ski lodge. I have no small animals left in or around my yard including chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits...all gone. This one appears to be young as he still has some markings on his tail and legs which means there could be more than one in the area."


There is some argument within the Wolf Laurel community as to whether this is really a mountain lion or a domestic cat. Whatever the case may be, apparently there are some small animals disappearing, which indicates something is out there.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/68542631_10220567700688724_1581680298695852032_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_oc=AQnOxe8nj91rPW7FgNEIgLEmtO6hlN-grlraZosFFJd074-jBKKI52mZIRcZPOWgRh8&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=b0f0d9417d09da37a7cf431710ecf301&oe=5E1123F9







Mountain Lion, Bobcat or Domestic Cat?
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/images/fw-mountainlionBobcatCat.jpg
Mountain Lion (https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/8113.htm)

[*=left]Weight: 80-160 pounds
[*=left]Length: About 7-8 feet long
[*=left]Tail: 2-3 feet long (up to half of the total length)


Identification
The mountain lion is a large, slender cat, with a long rope-like tail. Adults are a uniform tan or tawny in color, with a white or cream-colored chin, undersides and inner legs.Bobcats, feral cats and domestic dogs may be misidentified as mountain lion. Below is a list of physical characteristics that distinguish mountain lions from more common species.
Physical appearance

Coat overall is tawny to golden-brown
Long, thick tail with blunt, black tip that is held low, not uplifted
Oval heads are smaller in proportion to their overall body size
Longer neck in comparison to housecats; the neck can be as long as the length of the head
Rounded ears that are solid black or gray on the back, may have a white or light spot
Some black on the front of the muzzle, below the nose
Belly, underside, inside legs and chin are white or creamy
Slight sag to their spine

NOTE: Use of optics (binoculars or scopes) can maginfy an animal's size.
Tracks

Approximately 3-4 inches in length and 3-4.5 inches wide
Round and often wider than they are long
No claws


https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/images/fw-mt_lion_front_tracks.jpg
Front Track



https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/images/fw-mt_lion_rear_tracks.jpg
Back Track

zelph
09-19-2019, 10:04
The size of those hind legs says mountain lion.

https://scontent-mia3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/68542631_10220567700688724_1581680298695852032_n.j pg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_oc=AQnOxe8nj91rPW7FgNEIgLEmtO6hlN-grlraZosFFJd074-jBKKI52mZIRcZPOWgRh8&_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-1.xx&oh=b0f0d9417d09da37a7cf431710ecf301&oe=5E1123F9

TexasBob
09-19-2019, 12:02
Stripes on tail says tabby

Tennessee Viking
09-19-2019, 15:17
Based on my experience in video forensics, and basing my opinion on the displayed leaf litter and correlating it to the critter with an estimated 15-20 yards to the background structure....its a cat.

The closer to human habitat calls for a house cat.

Traveler
09-20-2019, 07:53
Shake a box of Friskies....

rhjanes
09-20-2019, 09:40
I showed this photo to our 14 year old cat. He admitted it, it's him out on a night time hunt. Yes, he's a house cat BUT he IDENTIFIES as a Mountain Lion, therefore.......

rhjanes
09-20-2019, 09:46
We live in the DFW area, but 1/4 from a major lake with lots of wildlife. Bobcats are fairly common near the lake. Someone over on the "rich" side of town, from their porch overlooking the lake, they posted on NEXTDOOR, that there was a HUGE MOUNTAIN LION along the lake! A few others said "WE THINK SO ALSO". Then the wildlife experts posted what land here in Texas would be needed to support a large cat. Conclusion was that it would take all of the 11 counties that make up our "Metroplex (mess)". Photo's of the track and measurements showing it wasn't large enough to be a ML, didn't convince some. Meanwhile, lots of armchair people were posting their "sightings". This went on for a week. Then a funny thing happened. A person who lives 2 doors down from the "sighting", happens to have a game camera pointing at the lake. They posted photos of coyotes, deer,......and bobcat.....Dated to the day the original poster was convinced a MOUNTAIN LION walked by.
That ended that discussion.

Feral Bill
09-20-2019, 12:25
I think I recall this same picture showing up with the same story but a different location some time ago. Anyone else remember that?

zelph
09-20-2019, 12:45
Stripes on tail says tabby

racoon :-)

TexasBob
09-21-2019, 09:03
I showed this photo to our 14 year old cat. He admitted it, it's him out on a night time hunt. Yes, he's a house cat BUT he IDENTIFIES as a Mountain Lion, therefore.......

Now that's funny!!! I have run into a few cats over the years that thought they were mountain lions too.