 |
 |
Posted on 08/29/2015 8:23:32 AM PDT by Theoria
Officials ponder changing cat’s status, causing roar of protest; sighting a ‘U.F.O.’
Diana Marchibroda insists she saw the beast near the Appalachian Trail in Virginia in May. From the woods sauntered a “tall, very sleek” mountain lion, she says. Ms. Marchibroda, a dentist who is 62 years old, says she and her silver-haired miniature schnauzer, Sophie, “both watched in awe.”
“My sighting is ABSOLUTE,” she wrote the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in July. “I know what I saw.”
Dozens of similar missives have poured into the agency as it proposes removing the Eastern mountain lion from the list of endangered species, where it has been since 1973. That change comes because the agency believes the creature no longer exists and would effectively render the subspecies extinct.
The roar of protest is from Easterners who contend the formidable felines still roam forests, fields and backyards from Maine to Georgia.
“There was no mistaking that long tail!” wrote one commenter to the agency in June, about an alleged sighting in New York. “Big as my bike,” promised another about a purported lion in Harrisburg, Pa.
The debate is “sort of in the realm of Bigfoot,” but with more scientific basis, says Noah Charney, an expert animal tracker in Western Massachusetts. The occasional mountain lion is spotted in the East, after wandering in from the West, but it is exceedingly uncommon and officials say people are reporting far more sightings than technically possible.
Also called cougars, pumas and panthers, mountain lions boast impressive tails, buff builds and often tawny-brown coats. They thrive in the West and have expanded eastward in recent decades, breeding in spots like South Dakota, with sightings increasing in the Midwest.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
.
>> “Rather than admitting that the Eastern Mountain Lion never existed as a separate distinct species, the neo-pagans declare it extinct.” <<
.
I think you’re onto something.
.
Jaguars go through a color change, depending on maturity and other factors. It’s called a melanomic phase, and even with the black coloration the spots can be seen if you are close enough. They are not chameleons changing their color. So, guess all that depends. The reports on jaguars have been verified.
You most likely saw a mountain lion. Check a wikipedia on the jaguar for photos and the color phase.
That makes sense, since the Florida Panther is actually a variety of puma/mountain lion/cougar, which is related to and looks a lot like a big kitty cat.
Nonsense!
Well they have always been called Black Panthers in the South. Or in the days up in the Mountains they were referred to as Painters. I think there was a poem written called “The Cry of The Painter” or something like that. People were terrified of them.
What they are is a Black Mountain Lion or in Florida Mountain lions are called Panthers and in some areas they are called Cougars. I think there have been some pictures taken of them. They do sound like a child crying and its the weirdest thing you ever heard. Woke me out of a sound sleep. It sounds like a child but you know it isn’t. LOL!
jaguar (Panthera onca)
mountain lion, cougar, puma (Puma concolor)
The cougar/puma/mountian lion and the house cat belong to the subfamily Felinae.
The first group roars. The second group screams.
|
|
In June I posted a picture on my facebook page of a 4 ft long black cat that a game camera took in my drive at 3:30 in the morning. Something had been setting my driveway alarm off in the middle of the night (800 ft long drive) so I set a game camera up to catch the culprit.I nearly swallowed my teeth when I opened the file on my computer.. Several neighbors have confimed they saw It. I sent a copy of the picture to the North Carolina Wildlife Commission but they have not commented or answered my email to them.
wow..i would love to see that pic...possible to link to that pic?
We have gotten some really good pictures in our south Texas game cameras. Classic mountain lions, close up.
Wrong!
The jag and the puma are the same cat.
You’re thinking of the lynx and bobcats, which are the same as house cats, as in they have purring cords, and meow rather roar.
The puma can be black, tan, or spotted, just like the Jag and the leopard, and are approximately the same size/weight,except that the puma in northern reaches get about 25% larger than the Jag, and apparently live longer.
Not there.
Saying so doesn’t make it so, even if you say it loud and often. If nothing else, check out the pictures. Obviously two different animals, even without looking at internal anatomy. Jeff is right.
? June 27 post.. comes up for me, though I am logged into facebook.. What do you get when you try the link ?
I didn’t find it either.
Sorry this content isn’t available right now. Expired.
crap I should have learned how to post a picture on Free Republic.- Ditter check your mail
.
>> “Saying so doesn’t make it so” <<
.
Yes, that would be your’s and Jeff’s problem.
.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.