Types of Mountain Lion in Mississippi

Mountain lions were hunted relentlessly during the 1800s and early 1900s as settlers expanded westward and established ranches and farms. Bounty hunters were paid to eliminate them, and unregulated hunting reduced their population rapidly. By the early 1900s, mountain lions had been completely killed off east of the Rocky Mountains. The combination of direct hunting, loss of prey animals, and habitat destruction made their recovery in the East impossible. Unlike wolves, which have occasionally been reintroduced or have naturally returned to some areas, there has been no effort to restore mountain lions to the eastern United States.

Mountain lions now live only in western North America, primarily in the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, and the desert regions of the Southwest. The largest populations are found in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. In the Pacific Northwest, they are found in Oregon and Washington. The only eastern population is a critically endangered group of fewer than 200 Florida panthers in southern Florida, which is a subspecies that is heavily protected and cannot be hunted. These cats require large territories and depend on abundant prey such as mule deer and elk.

It is extremely unlikely but technically possible for a mountain lion to wander far from its home territory and reach the southeastern states. Such dispersal happens very rarely in western populations, typically involving young males leaving their home range to find new territory. A few unconfirmed reports of large cats in the Southeast over the years may have been misidentified animals or individuals that traveled from Louisiana or Texas, but none of these led to established populations. The distance from the nearest stable mountain lion population to Mississippi is over 1,000 miles, making accidental arrival essentially impossible.

Mountain lions are the largest wild cats in North America and are far bigger than bobcats or coyotes. Adults weigh 100 to 220 pounds, while a large bobcat weighs only 25 to 40 pounds. Mountain lions have long muscular tails and uniformly tan or golden-brown coats, whereas bobcats are heavily spotted, have ear tufts, and a short tail with a dark tip. Mountain lions have long slender legs built for running and leaping, while bobcats are stockier and built for pouncing on small prey from short distances. If you see a large unknown cat in Mississippi, it is almost certainly a misidentified bobcat, domestic or feral dog, or mountain lion sighting report that lacks physical evidence.

Bobcats are the only wild cats regularly found in Mississippi. They are much smaller than mountain lions, weighing 15 to 40 pounds, with short tails and spotted coats. Bobcats are found throughout Mississippi in forests, swamps, and brushy areas, and they are solitary, secretive animals that are rarely seen by people. Coyotes, which are often mistaken for large cats or wild dogs, are also present in Mississippi and are increasing in number. Both bobcats and coyotes are native to North America and are now well-established throughout the southeastern United States.

If you believe you have seen a large cat that resembles a mountain lion in Mississippi, take a photograph or video if you can do so safely, note the exact location and date, and report it to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Do not approach the animal. However, the vast majority of such reports turn out to be misidentifications of bobcats, domestic dogs, or dogs that have gone feral. Bobcats often appear much larger than they actually are, especially in dim light or at a distance. Keep in mind that mountain lions have not lived wild in Mississippi for over 150 years and there is no established population anywhere in the eastern United States outside of southern Florida.

Mountain lions are solitary, territorial animals that require vast ranges of 20 to 60 square miles or more per individual, depending on prey availability. They hunt primarily at dawn and dusk and are almost never seen by humans in the wild. They prefer rocky canyons, scrublands, and forests where they can hunt deer and other large prey. Mountain lions are generally shy and avoid humans. Attacks on people are extraordinarily rare, occurring far less frequently than attacks by domestic dogs. Despite their fearsome reputation, mountain lions play an important ecological role by controlling deer populations and preventing overgrazing.

You can visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website for information about mountain lions and their current distribution. The National Geographic website and the wildlife agencies of western states such as Colorado and Utah provide excellent educational resources with photographs and detailed natural history information. For information about the endangered Florida panther, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission maintains a dedicated research program. To learn about the wild cats and predators that actually live in Mississippi, visit our Mississippi wildlife page for profiles of black bears, bobcats, and coyotes.