Maine Mystery Cat - Photograph *Update*

Originally posted by grover
The only thing that seems off to me are the way it hunches down from the shoulder as it were... the psoture reminds me more of an African lion than it does a mountain lion.

Here's a good video of mountain lions, from the start you can see the mountain lion making this kind of posture.

www.youtube.com...

*** Update ***

Fur and skin samples have been collected from the site (not where the photograph was taken - a second sighting), and has been given to Biologists at Southern Illinois University for analysis.

OAKLAND - State biologists on Tuesday began investigating the second reported mountain lion sighting in the area in a week.
...
On Tuesday, Oakland resident Kelvin Higgins provided a sample of fur and possibly some skin to state biologists. He said a big cat shed the fur while grooming itself on a snowy rock in his wooded backyard in April.

"I'm not 100 percent sure it was a mountain lion, but it was a big cat, believe me," Higgins said.
...
In that incident, an unnamed resident provided a grainy photo of what appeared to be a large cat to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Latti said the photo was inconclusive.

The Oakland sighting is different, according to state biologist Keel Kemper, who said the sample appears to include both hair and flesh, and is large enough for DNA testing.

"This does not look like deer hair, to be honest with you," Kemper said.

Source

So, it seems there is a big cat in Maine. Only a matter of time before we know what it is.

It looks remarkably similar to a cougar. We have cougars all over here and I've seen them in the wild though rarely. Majestic animals I love to watch them.

Originally posted by gallopinghordes
It looks remarkably similar to a cougar. We have cougars all over here and I've seen them in the wild though rarely. Majestic animals I love to watch them.

Yeah, I think they are being driven off due to habitat loss, which is sad. Maybe this story could bring attention to the need for more conservation with this species.

Take a look at the link below. It may be that someone has 'lost' their pet jaguar.

Jaguar - Wikipedia

The DNA results are out:

Oakland — A scrap of hair and skin from a rock where an Oakland man reported seeing a mountain lion came from a fox, according to a state biologist.

Still, the results of DNA testing on the sample neither prove nor disprove Oakland resident Kelvin Higgins’ assertion that he saw a mountain lion in his yard on a warm day in April, according to Keel Kemper, a state wildlife biologist.

“There are a lot of possibilities,” said Kemper. “The only thing I can say emphatically is the hair he submitted is (that of) a red fox.”
...
Higgins said he believes the large cat was cleaning itself after eating the fox when it left the scrap of fur on the rock.
Kennebec Journal Augusta, Maine August 16, 2007

More

That's all dandy, but it still doesn't explain the photograph out of the way, as the animal in the photograph is by no means a red fox...

THAT DONT LOOK LIKE A COUGER. IT HAS MORE HUMAN FACIAL FIGURES. AND THE BODY AND FUR DONT RESEMBLE THOSE OF A COUGER. MABEY IF IT WAS RAINING THE FUR COULD HAVE BEEN MATTED DOWN BUT I DONT KNOW WHAT THE BODY RESEMBLES. I DONT KNO WTF THAT IS BUT IT SURE AS HELL ISNT A COUGER. ILL RESEARCH IT.

looks like a tiger-mountain lion-cougar cross breed

Funny, I was looking for something else Maine related and I find this article. I saw a mountain lion or something very similar on mid coast Maine in the early 2000's. I thought it was a deer at first because of the coloration but it assumed the springing crouch that cats do before they leap up something, in this case the hillside. As it leaped up the hill, still thinking it was a deer, it's tail was the give away that it wasn't a deer. I have heard they found cougar tracks on Goldsboro beach or someplace near there within the last 20 years or so. Just giving witness to what I saw. Nothing new to add at this point. There is a decent sized cave near the hill top. Maybe we will hear more about this animal in the future.

the photo does sure look like this ! but how ?

it been extinct 10,000 years

look at article Amazing !
www.sdnhm.org...
www.sdnhm.org...

American Lion !

en.wikipedia.org...

Some pics of what it could be ! is some madman creating them back to Life






[edit on 29-6-2010 by Wolfenz]

That dosnt even look like a mountain lion or African lion to me. It looks like a bobcat ir lynx.

I am pretty sure that photo has been photoshopped something is clearly wrong with it, I think it is the lighting. But there is something els- -the scale doesn't look right for the cat- -It looks just a little too small. Try comparing it to the leaves, pine tree and grass.
I think the cat in the photo is a mountain lion or an African lion that has been pasted into the photo (I definitely do not think it is a lynx (wrong ears) or a domestic cat of any kind.)
And what is he/she standing on? I mean, it's possible that it's standing on something behind or part of the stone wall, but even it's rear feet are in a strange place like it is scaling the wall lengthwise rather than right over it. It just doesn't look right.
All paws are hidden- -this makes photoshopping easier because the position of the paws on the rocks/ground must look as though the cat was really using that rock to stand on (this is hard to do if the cat was originally stepping on something quite different or differently). So by eliminating the paws all together the creator of the photo can more easily give the illusion that the cat is actually climbing very comfortably and naturally up the wall.
I do think it is possible that a lion(s) lives in Maine, but I doubt it.

-Russ

Assuming the pic is real, it's not a mountain lion/cougar. The cat in the pic clearly has spots. Mountain lions don't. That said, the pic looks fake to me, can't say why, just something about it is off.

My first thought is lynx but I'm no expert.
Something about it It does have a prehistoric feel .. maybe it's just the lush vegetation. Quite beautiful and extraordinary. I hope it will be left to live in peace.

ETA: Just noticed the date on this thread, oops! Checking the links now to see if anything more was discovered.

reply to post by Starcrossd


I didn't see that either. Nice catch. **Off to research it as well**

Edit: Well that's a bust. I did find bigger pictures though where it looks like it doesn't have spots. So I dunno. I give up on this one.