Hairtrigger
Senior Member
You guys see the trail cam pics on cover page of GON page?
I did see the markings on the ears. Besides that, I didnt see anything that resemelbed a bobcat.
i understand that we might have 4 cougars in the entire state but what i am saying is that they are not an abundant wildlife animal in this state. no way!!! if so someone somewhere would see them on a semi regular basis!!
I believe it because I've seen the same. It was incredible how much distance it could cover in one bound. Black too.I seen a big black cat and i mean big one whether it be panther or cougar it jumped a two lane road in front of me and my wife and father in law seen it on two more separate times and it was about a half mile from their house every time and this was in terrell county ga
Can't explain it scientifically but know what I saw. Of the two black ones that I've seen, one was dead and laying on the edge of I-75 between Sarasota and Venice, Fl. It was pure black (could see a blue sheen coming off of the fur in the sunlight) and way too big to be a house cat. One thing that really sticks in my mind is how long and densely furred it's tail was. I wanted to stop and either retreive it or phone it in to the DNR but I was on my way to work, the traffic was too heavy and I didn't have a phone with me.can someone please explain to me (using logic and scientific facts) how these black panthers exist here in such large numbers and not one single melanistic phase cougar has been EVER known to exist in captivity or in the areas that they are know to be?
T
Can't explain it scientifically but know what I saw. Of the two black ones that I've seen, one was dead and laying on the edge of I-75 between Sarasota and Venice, Fl. It was pure black (could see a blue sheen coming off of the fur in the sunlight) and way too big to be a house cat. One thing that really sticks in my mind is how long and densely furred it's tail was. I wanted to stop and either retreive it or phone it in to the DNR but I was on my way to work, the traffic was too heavy and I didn't have a phone with me.
I wonder if it is possible that we are seeing Jaguar? I seem to remember reading somewhere that, in the past, Jaguar did inhabit parts of North America. Not sure though.
Bill
Yes sir T, alive and dead. Also saw one of those FL panthers they released a long time ago (in FL) in Fargo area. Was on a bear hunt on the border of the Okefenokee swamp.They had biologist out there trying to get info on. (long time ago) Everyone bobcat I have shot in the last 20 years has had color variationlike pictured below. Do the bobcats in central and north GA have tan coats with little or no color? Might explain why they came to this conclusion
As for the dead one on the side of the road, especially one as heavily traveled as that one, it would have been reported somewhere. Every panther killed on the highways in florida are collected by the DNR and a necropsy is done, if it were in fact a "black" panther or a melenistic jaguar it would have been all over the news and you would be able to find mention of it in at least one journal. The florida panther is probably one of the most studied large mammal populations in the world and were there EVER any melenistic ones born that would be huge news, while I am not saying the biologist see every one born, they do survey the vast majority of the litters and take DNA samples and other vitals.
Jaguars do occur from time to time in the southwest, namely Arizona and New Mexico. There are historical records of them being found as far north as the grand canyon and as far east as western Louisianna (the later in the 19th century).