How to Identify Mountain Lion in Vermont

A mountain lion is a large solitary cat weighing 100 to 220 pounds depending on sex and region. Also called cougars, pumas, or panthers, they have a long body, powerful legs, and a long rope-like tail that can reach 3 feet in length. Their coat is typically tawny brown or gray, with white undersides and sometimes faint darker markings. Mountain lions range across the western United States, parts of Canada, and a small population in Florida. They require large territories of forest and wilderness to hunt deer and other prey.

Bobcats live in Vermont and are often mistaken for mountain lions, but they are much smaller. A bobcat weighs 15 to 35 pounds versus a mountain lion's 100 to 220 pounds. Bobcats have short tufted ears with black tips, spotted or striped fur, and a stubby tail only 4 to 7 inches long often held upright. Mountain lions have small rounded ears, plain tawny fur, and a long tail that extends nearly as long as their body. If you saw a cat with a short stubby tail in Vermont, it was definitely a bobcat, not a mountain lion.

Coyotes are common in Vermont and can appear larger and more predatory than they are, especially in dim light. An adult coyote weighs 25 to 35 pounds, about the same as a large bobcat but lean and tall on its legs. Coyotes have gray or tan fur, pointed ears, and a long bushy tail they hold low or tucked. A mountain lion is bulkier, more muscular, has a long rope-like tail held horizontally, and moves with a different gait. Coyotes also vocalize with yips and howls that carry through the forest. Mountain lions are nearly silent. If you heard the animal, it was almost certainly a coyote.

Mountain lions are the largest wild cat in North America outside of captivity. A male mountain lion can stretch 7 to 9 feet from nose to tail, stand 2.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh 140 to 220 pounds. For comparison, a bobcat is 2.5 to 3.5 feet long and weighs 15 to 35 pounds. A coyote is 3.5 to 4.5 feet long and weighs 25 to 35 pounds. A large feral dog might resemble a coyote in size but has different ear shape and tail carriage. There is no large predator in Vermont that would occupy a mountain lion's size range except in imagination or with a misidentified photo.

The mountain lion's tail is one of its most distinctive features and the key difference from other large cats. The tail is long, thick, and rope-like, measuring up to 3 feet in length, often as long as the animal's torso. The tail tapers smoothly to a point and is usually dark tipped. It is held horizontally or slightly low when the animal walks. By contrast, a bobcat's tail is stubby and often held upright with a white underside and black tip. A coyote's tail is bushy and held low or tucked. If an animal you thought might be dangerous had a long, thick, tapered tail, it could have been a mountain lion if you were far from Vermont, but in Vermont it is almost certainly a misidentified bobcat or a dog.

Mountain lion tracks are circular paw prints roughly 3 to 4 inches in diameter, slightly larger than a bobcat's 1 to 2 inch print. Mountain lion prints show four toes in a curved pattern with claw marks rarely visible because they retract into the paw. The hind feet often step nearly directly on the front footprints, creating a nearly straight line down the animal's path, a behavior called direct register walk. Bobcat tracks are smaller and rounder. Coyote and dog tracks show claw marks and spread their toes more noticeably. If you found large round tracks with no visible claws in fresh Vermont snow, they could belong to a bobcat, but they would not be from a mountain lion because no wild population exists in the state.

Every few years, someone reports a mountain lion sighting in Vermont or nearby states. These reports almost always remain unconfirmed because no breeding mountain lions have existed in the region for over 150 years. Occasionally, a captive animal escapes, or an animal from the western United States travels far from its normal range, but these events are extremely rare. Local wildlife officials investigate credible reports but find no physical evidence of an established population. Misidentification is far more common than genuine sightings. If a mountain lion ever did appear in Vermont, it would be a major wildlife event that state biologists would confirm and publicize.

If you spot a large animal you believe might be a mountain lion, stay calm and do not approach it. Take a photo if you can do so safely from a distance. Note the animal's size, color, tail length, and behavior. Contact the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department to report your sighting. They will take your information and assess whether follow-up is needed. In most cases, they will likely identify the animal as a bobcat, coyote, or feral dog once they review the details. Regardless, reporting helps wildlife officials track trends and educate the public about Vermont's actual predators.