How to Identify Mountain Lion in Massachusetts

No. Mountain lions, also called cougars or pumas, were completely eliminated from the eastern United States by the mid-1800s due to hunting and habitat loss. They have never naturally reestablished in Massachusetts or anywhere else in New England. The western United States still has populations in places like the Rocky Mountains and California, but the species is functionally absent from Massachusetts and has been for over 150 years.

Most mountain lion sightings reported in Massachusetts are misidentifications. A large coyote can easily be mistaken for a mountain lion, especially at dawn or dusk or when seen briefly. Bobcats, the largest wild cat in Massachusetts, are sometimes called mountain lions by people unfamiliar with the state's wildlife. Feral domestic cats, mangy coyotes, or even large dogs can also fuel these reports. A small number of reports might involve escaped or released captive animals, which are rare and do not establish wild populations.

Massachusetts has three native predators that are worth learning to identify. Coyotes are the largest, weighing 30 to 40 pounds, with grayish-brown fur and a pointed snout. Bobcats are much smaller, about 20 to 30 pounds, with a stocky build, spotted coat, and distinctive short tail with a black tip. Red foxes are lean and colorful, with rusty-red fur, black legs, and a white-tipped tail. All three are far more common in Massachusetts than any mountain lion ever could be.

Mountain lions are enormous, weighing 120 to 220 pounds with muscular bodies, long slender tails, and small rounded ears. Their heads are small relative to their body size. A large coyote weighs only 30 to 40 pounds and has a narrower, more delicate frame. Coyotes have pointed ears, thinner tails, and longer legs relative to body height. Even a very large coyote does not approach a mountain lion's bulk or power. If you saw a wild cat in Massachusetts the size of a mountain lion, it would not be a mountain lion because they do not exist here.

Theoretically, a mountain lion could travel long distances if it chose to, but this has never happened successfully in the wild in modern times. Mountain lions need large territories with abundant prey and minimal human disturbance. They avoid crossing open prairie, farmland, and developed areas. The distance from the nearest wild mountain lion population in the west to Massachusetts is over 2,000 miles, and the landscape in between offers no suitable habitat. A western mountain lion reaching Massachusetts alive and undetected would be extraordinarily rare and would almost certainly be captured or shot before establishing a population.

Contact the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife immediately. Provide your location, the time you saw the animal, a detailed description, and any photos or video if you captured them. The state wildlife agency will investigate reports and can help confirm the animal's identity. In almost every case, they will determine the animal was a coyote, bobcat, feral cat, or domestic dog. If there were any legitimate mountain lion sighting, it would be big news and the state would issue public warnings, so absence of such warnings is a reliable sign none have been documented.

Mountain lions in the west are unmistakable once you know what to look for. They are massive, sleek cats with tan or yellowish-brown fur, white bellies, and a very long, slender tail as thick as a baseball bat. Their heads are relatively small, ears are small and rounded, and their face shows no stripes or spots. They move with a powerful, low-slung gait. Unlike leopards or jaguars, mountain lions have no spots. Unlike bears, they have a feline shape and a long tail. If you encounter one in the wild, it is a serious situation; mountain lion attacks on humans are rare but can be fatal.

No. The closest wild mountain lion populations live in the western United States. The nearest populations are in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana, over 2,000 miles away. There are no mountain lion populations in the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes region, or anywhere in the Northeast. Your only realistic chance of seeing a wild mountain lion is to travel to the western United States or the Florida Panther population in southern Florida, which numbers fewer than 250 individuals and is critically endangered.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife maintains fact sheets and guides on all state wildlife, including coyotes, bobcats, and foxes. Local nature centers and environmental organizations often offer wildlife identification walks and talks. The Audubon Society has chapters throughout Massachusetts and provides excellent resources. If you photograph an animal you are unsure about, wildlife experts can often identify it from photos. Museums like the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology also have displays and collections that help with wildlife identification.