Bobcat or Cougar?

[john1911]

I'm gonna say bobcat.

 

[Triple S]

BOBCAT..... I have seen many bobcats in South Texas that have very pronounced markings like the one on this ones legs and ears. The BC's here in FL do not have near the markings on the cats that I have seen out west.

 

[rantingredneck]

My vote is for bobcat. The pics make it look big, but there's really nothing defnitive to give the picture any scale. Those trees could be any size really as you only have a cat of unknown size to compare them to. Without something in the picture to give it scale it's hard to get a really clear read on the size of the animal in question. Looks can be deceiving .

Given the short tail and spots where you see them I'll say his name is Bobby.

 

[achildofthesky]

This is a bobcat...

These pix are of Puddin my Bobcat, about 35# + or - and she is 3 1/2 years old. I had to interrupt her squirrel dinner for the pix but she is pretty friendly so long as you don't try to take away food... The legs on the trail cam pix appear too long for a bobcat, note the distance belly to ground... Cool pix none the less.

Patty

 

[Smokingboomstick]

Nice bobcat, achildofthesky! There are cougars here in MO.

 

[CSA 357]

Red bone hound?

 

[Kman]

Redbone hound, well it is almost halloween. Local retired, DNR wildlife biologist says bobcat, white tufts on ears and not much tail. Color and size makes one want to argue. I really don't know, but I do know that the pics are from southern Ill. Regardless, it does make that lonely, dark, morning walk to the treestand just that much more spooky. If this guy is lucky enough to get more pics I'll send them along. In the meantime just imagine this big kitty in the tree next to you

 

[Art Eatman]

I don't profess to be the greatest at identifying stuff from photos, but that cat doesn't look like my bobcat, somehow. And I have a cougar hide draped over my couch...

See http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=45252&page=2, post #39.

, Art

 

[koja48]

I gotta say young cougar . . . legs & body are too long for it to be a bobcat.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

I think some of y'all may be confusing the camera angle on the tail and hence thinking it is a bobcat. In the pic on the right, the tail looks to come down and then curve toward the camera, thereby shortening its appearance.

 

[Triple S]

Bobcats are bobcats, but their colors can vary from cat to cat. I have seen lightly colored cats to heavily marked with dark, features. Also, their coats are different at various times of the year, much like deer have summer and winter coats.

 

[McCall911]

Maybe it's my failing vision, but it looks like a canine to me. Like a mastiff or mastiff mix. My in-laws used to have a dog that color.

 

[.41 magnum man]

I guess I was half asleep when I looked at the photo this morning. After going back and checking it out again, I am going to retract my first statement, and say it is a bobcat. In the first picture I thought I was looking at the tail on the left end , but as xd45gaper pointed out, that is actually the head. The black on the back of the ears and the spots on the legs point to it being a bobcat. You can also see the short tail in the second picture. As a taxidermist I have mounted some pretty big bobcats and have seen several that are minimally spotted like this one is. Definately a bobcat.

 

[xd45gaper]

both the toms i caught where pretty "tall" compared to a "normal" (if such a thing exist's lol) bobcat, most pics you see they are fairly small/short like the one posted above. the toms can get pretty big from what ive seen. and the ones out west get pretty big from what i hear and are VERY spotted,

the pointed black ears with white spots and spotted underbelly/short tail are a dead give away.

i first thought it was an immature cougar this morning at first glance from the picture but the closer you look at it the more you can pick out the features of a bobcat. a big one at that lol

 

[john1911]

I really don't know, but I do know that the pics are from southern Ill

Can you say where in So. IL?

 

[rantingredneck]

Again, there's really nothing in that picture to give it any indication of scale whatsoever. Those trees look big, and make the cat look big by comparison, but it's an optical illusion. The only thing you can compare in the pic is overall body length relative to leg length. But there's nothing there of known size that you can relate the size of the cat to. In pics like these even the height of the camera relative to the ground can cause illusions like this. Lower to ground, bigger the animal looks. It also looks like this trail cam may be pointed uphill, which would exaggerate the effect. I still say bobcat and I'd be willing to bet it really isn't an unusually big specimen either.

 

[Picknlittle]

Import the pic at right into a photo editing program. Enlarge and sharpen. The tail is about half the length of the cat. The tail drops then curves upward toward the camera. It is also partially obscured by leaves.

Cougar.

 

[JG2000]

Could it be a Lynx? When i did a google search the pictures look very similar. Whatever it is be safe on the way to the stand this year.

 

[alucard0822]

young cougar, black tip on a long tail
not my cougar, but this pic might help:

this was my dad's cougar, probably won't help

 

[JayTee]

I say cougar. Long body, long legs, long tail.

 

[Blackfork]

Bobcat

I get them on deercams in Smith County, Texas frequently.

 

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

Still a cougar

The votes for "bobcat" are interesting, considering that the image really looks nothing like a bobcat. The proportions are all wrong (bobcats are much more compact), while matching those of a cougar perfectly. The apparent white spots on the backs of the ears are quite common on cougars.

The tail is too long for a bob, but right for a cougar. And what seem to be some spots along the backs of the legs? Also a trait of juvenile cougars.

If the choice is cougar or bobcat, it's a cougar.

 

[Triple S]

Probably only you single guys will get this, but...........What's the most dangerous animal in the world?...............













.........................A cougar with cubs!

 

[timmyb21]

Mountain boblion. That's it. No question.