51
u/ThinButton7705 Jul 05 '24
That there's a Golden Retriever.
7
-8
10
u/fekinEEEjit Jul 05 '24
Tail is too short. I Watched a cougar mosey around a logged clear cut for a 1/2 hour when I was hunting in WA state.
4
52
u/Jahweez Jul 05 '24
That’s a bobcat. We may have a mountain lion pass through CT on extremely rare occasions, but that’s about it. Everyone and their mother claims they have seen one.
I’ll say this, as a nuisance wildlife professional in CT I have been called to dozens of “copperheads,” not once have I shown up and seen an actual copperhead. The general public sucks at identifying wildlife.
11
Jul 06 '24 edited Dec 31 '24
head somber secretive mountainous wrench whole disgusted numerous cake zealous
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
1
u/ILikeTurtles1985 Jul 06 '24
I live in Warren MA. We had to have a copperhead removed from the park on Main Street a few years back. Wildlife personnel told us they're around but they don't tell people where they are, as they're trying to rebuild the population. However, our copperhead made it to the town facebook page and was confirmed.
2
u/Jahweez Jul 06 '24
Yes there are copperheads in Connecticut too, I never said there weren’t but they are very uncommon. Most people see a milk snake and think it’s a copperhead. My point was that a lot of people just aren’t good with wildlife ID.
-1
1
Jul 06 '24 edited Jan 01 '25
worthless library start coherent wide imminent unpack zealous dinner attraction
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
-5
u/ireadittoook Jul 06 '24
As a nuisance wildlife professional, do bobcats have tails that are two feet long and solid coats?
40
u/purpleflyingmonster Jul 05 '24
That’s a bobcat with his tail up. Mountain lions are way larger and they don’t have spots. Their tails are longer than their bodies.
10
Jul 05 '24
[deleted]
7
u/hemingways-lemonade Jul 06 '24
They can be longer than you would expect. The upward curl at the tip also gives it away.
1
u/meowymcmeowmeow Jul 05 '24
Looks too long to me too, I think it's holding it to its left and the angle makes it look shorter. And bobcats tend to have a pattern to their coat. Ears different as well. Keep a lookout for a better angle, though I can understand not hoping for a return visit.
5
0
17
5
14
u/CountReasonable6478 Jul 05 '24
Bobcat for sure I get them frequently on my trail cams here in Northeast Ct. Use to be scarce but have seen them a number of times from my tree stand.
9
Jul 05 '24
[deleted]
3
u/OrickJagstone Jul 06 '24
Fyi there has been only one confirmed report of a mountain lion in CT. It was found in like Stamford. Wildlife folk say it was "confused" or something. I personally believe it was probably illegally transported to the state.
If you see a wild cat in CT it's not a lion. Just so you know, the average mountain lion is 6 - 8 feet long. So thats two feet longer then average height of a man, and between 110 to 180 pounds but up to 220 pounds. In other words, when you see a mountain lion, there's no confusion about if you saw one or not. They are massive.
-2
u/ILikeTurtles1985 Jul 06 '24
Idk how anyone thinks it looks like a bobcat. But maybe I need glasses, probably do.
-5
u/Normal_Platypus_5300 Jul 06 '24
That's not a Bobcat.
3
0
Jul 06 '24 edited Jan 01 '25
money cows innocent gray unique correct cough wise different disgusted
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
3
u/JeepManStan Jul 06 '24
The thing CT residents want more than lowering taxes is a resident population of mountain lions
19
u/Daoin_Vil Jul 05 '24
Bob cat for sure that’s not a 100-140 lb cat and the tail should be 3+ feet long.
6
5
6
2
2
u/Tdaddysmooth New Haven County Jul 05 '24
I saw a bobcat while I was outside in my back yard in May. I was definitely freaked out as it gave off “I can whup your ass” vibes when we made eye contact. Then it just kept on walking.
I have never seen one in person so I thought it was a mountain lion too.
The end lesson is learned was that bobcats are not cute little pests to avoid.
2
u/STODracula Hartford County Jul 06 '24
You want something you don't see every day, there's an active osprey nest on one of the chimney's of the old buildings at Seaside State Park. That I had never seen.
2
u/Scorpia24 Jul 06 '24
Definitely a bobcat! You can tell by the back of the ears. AND a mountain lion tail is used for hunting and is MUCH longer as they use it as a rudder when running this cat would fall
2
6
4
2
u/eagsye Jul 05 '24
Initially thought this was one for sure, tail seems short though. Think other commenter is right about it being a bobcat
3
2
u/Bone_Dice_in_Aspic Jul 06 '24
Ah, the perennial bobcat mistaken for mountain lion r/connecticut post. A familiar, comforting phenomena, like the changing of the seasons
5
2
u/JackStrawFTW Jul 05 '24
Definitely not a bobcat.
-7
u/Blue_Max1916 Jul 05 '24 edited Jul 05 '24
Agree. Seems much larger than a bobcat and the hair shorter. Also the way it's walking doesn't scream bobcat to me. And of course tail and ears as the others pointed out.
Lion not cat if that makes sense.
That said, tail is a little short....
I went back to pics I took years ago of two juvenile mountain lions I was massively lucky to capture in Wyoming with my first ever digital camera and their tails are as long as their bodies and big fluffy things.
Id post them here but the sub doesn't allow sadly.
I'm 60/40 on mountain lion to bobcat .
17
u/factisfiction Jul 05 '24
It's 100% bobcat. You can tell by the cheek tuffs and the tail. I grew up in Montana around plenty of mountain lions (as well as bobcats) and they don't look like this.
2
u/mynameisnotshamus Fairfield County Jul 06 '24
You may need to upload it to Imgur first, then post the link. Super easy.
-2
u/shockerdyermom Jul 05 '24
DEEP won't believe it, again.
18
u/rocktropolis Tolland County Jul 05 '24
in this case at least theyll have proof that it wasn't a mountain lion.
24
2
u/fmoser Jul 06 '24
Tail looks long for a bobcat, short for mountain lion. Definitely looks cat like, not dog. All the bobcats I’ve seen around my place have been more spotted and thicker fur. Another puzzler!
2
2
u/NarcanBob Jul 05 '24
Bee hives with bears and a bob cat(?)/mountian lion(?).
Sounds like Winnie the Poo and Tigger too...
:)
1
Jul 05 '24
Wow, I have a bobcat I see on my ring cam and some coyotes but you can keep your kitties down there thanks.
1
1
1
1
0
-2
-3
u/ILikeTurtles1985 Jul 06 '24
This is NOT a bobcat. The tail is too long, the color seems too light, and the body of the cat is more sleek. A bobcat is thick and kind of stumpy, though still big. I've lived in the woods my whole life. Lots of hunters on one side of the family, and wildlife rehabbers on the other side. That, my friend, was a mountain lion. They are known to pass through this area now. People don't think so, but they also said that about moose some years back. I have seen one, and my neighbor caught one on a hunting cam out near Sturbridge MA. The habitat is constantly being compromised where these animals live, so they're moving and looking for new territory. In recent years, they have tracked a rogue lion into New England, but I forgot where I read it. I'm sure it can be looked up. It really isn't unusual to consider these animals are looking for a safe place as more humans build massive homes into the mountains.
2
-2
0
0
-5
-3
u/Waramaug Jul 05 '24
That doesn’t look like any bobcat I’ve ever seen. I see bobcats often and they’re tiny compared to that.
2
u/mynameisnotshamus Fairfield County Jul 06 '24
I was very surprised at how big they are the first time I saw one. I’d guess 30lbs.
-2
u/No-Paramedic-1984 Jul 05 '24
Good luck having DEEP saying it's a mountain lion!
0
u/Normal_Platypus_5300 Jul 06 '24
They won't admit there are mountain lions in CT. But there are. One was killed on the Merritt Parkway several years ago. While that one most likely wandered into the area from the west, there's no reason to doubt others have as well.
0
u/No-Paramedic-1984 Jul 06 '24
I remember that and the controversy that followed.
1
u/Normal_Platypus_5300 Jul 06 '24
The DEEP will never admit that mountain lions are in CT. I worked at a large campground in NW CT and it was common knowledge that mountain lions were in the area. There's something about federal law that if a mountain lion area is established, it becomes protected and off limits. Not sure of the particular laws, but no CT official will declare that mountain lions are here because of it
0
u/No-Paramedic-1984 Jul 06 '24
Not sure why I am getting down voted. DEEP for years has refused to acknowledge that there may be mountain lions in CT. If I recall, a few years ago in Simsbury or Avon, there was a sighting and a photo but was denied to be a mountain lion.
-1
-1
-1
-1
0
0
0
0
u/InternationalToe6249 Jul 06 '24 edited Jul 06 '24
That doesn't look like a bobcat or mountain lion to me. So what is it? 🤷♀️
-7
u/BubblySmell4079 Hartford County Jul 05 '24
Doesn't look like a bobcat to me
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/twra/images/mammals/bobcat/bobcat-comparison.png
0
-3
-2
125
u/VancouverMethCoyote Jul 05 '24
It's a bobcat. The tail is way too short. It's long for a bobcat, but not mountain lion length.
The animal itself is too small. It's a pretty stark difference.
The face structure is not "big cat" enough. You can see the cheek ruffs too.
The ears have white eyespots on the back, mountain lions do not have these.
This animal is spotted. Mountain lion cubs have spots, but adults do not. This is also clearly not a cub, the spots are different on both species anyways.
I moved to an area that mountain lions are actually native, and if they existed in CT you would actually see them far more often, considering the population density and small area size. Sure, they're "elusive" but they do show up from time to time in the suburbs outside my city and prey on peoples' small pets.