Are There Mountain Lions in Mississippi?

Mountain lions ranged across North America before European settlement, but systematic hunting by settlers and fur trappers nearly eliminated them by the early 1900s. The animals could not compete with human expansion and were actively targeted as threats to livestock. East of the Rocky Mountains, this hunting eliminated mountain lions completely. Habitat loss in the Mississippi region, combined with the large territories these solitary cats require, made re-establishment impossible without human intervention.

The surviving mountain lion populations are found almost entirely west of the Great Plains. They inhabit the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, desert regions of the Southwest, and parts of California and Florida. Florida has a small population of around 200 animals, though these are genetically distinct and are called Florida panthers. In the western states, mountain lions occupy rugged, forested areas with adequate prey and minimal human settlement.

Very occasionally, a young male mountain lion might wander far from its normal range, particularly from Texas or Louisiana, but these are exceptional vagrants that rarely establish themselves. Such wandering animals almost never breed or stay in one place, and they represent curiosities rather than a return of the species to the region. The vast distances these animals would need to travel, combined with human development, roads, and the lack of an established population to return to, make this extremely unlikely.

Mississippi is home to several large carnivores that play important ecological roles. Black bears have returned to the northern part of the state in recent decades and are expanding their range. Bobcats are widespread throughout Mississippi in forests and wildlands. Coyotes have colonized the state over the past several decades and are now common. All three of these animals are wild residents of Mississippi and part of the state's natural ecosystem.

No. The bobcat is the only wild cat species found in Mississippi today. Mountain lions, as mentioned, are absent from the state. Domestic and feral cats exist in and around human settlements, but these are not wild species. The bobcat is a medium-sized wildcat that weighs between 15 and 40 pounds and is an adaptable predator of small mammals, birds, and rabbits.

Reliable sightings of large unknown cats in the eastern United States are extremely rare and most reports are misidentifications of bobcats, coyotes, or other known animals. If you see an animal you believe might be a large cat, photograph it if you can do so safely and report it to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. They maintain wildlife records and can help confirm what species you actually observed. Most surprising wildlife sightings turn out to be more common animals seen under unusual conditions or from a distance.