what is this on my game-cam?

[desertdarlene]

I haven't looked through all 61 pages, but it looks like a juvie mountain lion to me. Often, adolescents have markings on thie coats that are spotted and may look like stripes with a night cam.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Sorry folks voting for fox but im gonna have to guess that the animal in the pics, except for the 2nd one (THAT one looks like it could be a gray fox), looks like a juvenile mt lion to me. Im no expert but thats my honest opinion.

ETA: I meant FL panther

 

[jeepguy982001]

definatly a fox and a small cougar

 

[beefy]

its just a housecat, based on size comparisons. its not much bigger than a crow. a cougar would be closer to the size of those plants on the right.

 

[Cetawin]

Okay you have a fox and a juvenile Florida Panther.....as cubs they are spotted....as Juvies, the spots blend together to form a sort of stridation pattern and then they go completely tan with the black tail tip. It is not big enough to be a cougar TRUST me I have seen them up close and personal, too close, back in Oregon and I have also seen Florida Panthers along Alligator Alley in South Florida but they are in the panhandle and North Florida.

Your only other possibility and it is slim would be a Savannah cat which is a larger cat than a domestic but not that large. Check these Juvie panthers out....

This is a picture from an old encyclopedia of an adult Florida Panther vs a Florida Black Bear

As to a cougar they are much bigger and patterned different as youngsters and juvies even though they are cousins with the Fla. Panther (endangered)....I know what they look like up close and personal...this one was lounging in a tree by my coop one night and it watched me looking for the source of the chaos inside the coop. When the hair on the back of my neck would not go down, I ran the flashlight above me in the trees and guess who I found? He came through my yard every evening and again every morning going back to his den area. But I never lost a single duck or chicken to them...and never saw them during the daytime. Yes...I took it's picture. Why? Well it had me either way I was about 7 feet below him...not like I would outrun the cat to the house and I had my camera in my jacket pocket, so I took the pictures and if I was killed by it, there was at least a picture of my attacker.

Just make sure the coop is sturdy with no weak spots they can get a claw under or in because they are strong. It also helps to have a talk radio station playing in the coop and alternate between talk radio and music.

Good luck to you

 

[dinahmoe]

Cetawin-very cool pictures,thanks
i love how you can see the muscles on the cat and bear picture
i don't know how you managed to get that picture of that cougar looking at you,i would have wet myself.lol



i have not gotten anymore questionable pics on my cam lately.
just the obvious critters.
this was 2 nights ago.

 

[harveyhorses]

Quote:
Wow, thanks for these pics! But in the second one you can clearly see it is saying 'this is not my good side!!'
They really are amazing creatures.

 

[destinduck]

Thanks for the pics Cetawin. Some people on here just refuse to believe there are panthers moving up the north from Florida . As well as cougars moving east.

 

[mominoz]

Could easily be a mountain lion. I live in NW Ga. and they have been seen by hunters and some DNR will secretly admit they are around, but dont' want to panic "normal" people so they tend to deny it.... They also said there weren't bear or coyotes in Atlanta Metro, I was at the animal shelter in my county when calls came in for a bear.... they said ,oh, yeah Hwy 92 is on a migration route, they come down from the mtns. and we leave them alone, as long as they keep moving. As far as coyotes, many have been seen and photographed. I saw once trotting arcross a road one morning...( I know dogs and owned a malmute once, this was no dog...)
There were some "kittens" found in someones carport near southern atlanta metro, so no surprise.
The animal researchers were surpised when a collared mtn. lion traveled 700 miles along the west coast . they "had no idea they roamed that far". There is alot of " book infoa" that is plain wrong...poor observation and research. I'd put my trust in the Oldtimers info first......
My neighbor said he saw a cat track that was almost as big as his hand....(he hunts alot)

 

[Pumpkinpup]

I have to agree with Cetawin. I live in GA as well and I have seen a panther here in the wild in broad daylight. They are present here and from the pics, it looks consistant to me.

The DNR will deny their existance. I know what I saw and it was definatly a panther!