Lion?

[albatross]

I took these photos today 25Nov2007 in Portable Hollow Cameron County PA. The key in the photos for reference is 3.5 inches long. My son Mitch and I saw in the neighborhood of 100 of these tracks along a 1/4 mile section of logging road. None of the tracks we saw exhibited any claw marks.

Here is a reference site on cougar tracks: track site

I know this is a recurring discussion, but I have new evidence to add to the mix.

 

[Padraic]

The link you provided shows that cat tracks have 4 toes in front of the foot pad. The picture you posted seems to have 5 toes. So I would rule out a cat of any type. I pecked around on the website you provided and my guess is black bear. "Bear" in mind though, that I was never even a boyscout, so what do I know?

 

[live2fish]

http://www.bear-tracker.com/bear.html
Shows a bear track. I agree with Padraic, it looks like a bear. Either a cub or a young one by the size.

 

[albatross]

I spent Monday morning tracking bears. The claw marks are distinct on bear tracks.

I think the apparent fifth toe in the first picture I posted must be an unfortunate artifact (something next to the real track). Its too far outside the pad of the foot to really be a fifth toe. The second photo shows no fifth toe.

On the other hand, it might be one of those mutant Nittany Lions which do have five toes!

 

[Padraic]

Maybe it's a zebra track...

Than it is more likely to be a bobcat track, which can be up to 4.5 inches wide and are rounded according to this description:

"The bobcat track is easily distinquished with a round shape, four toes and no claws evident. It is generally twice the size of a domestic cat's print and loosely resembles that of a coyote or dog but is more rounded."
http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/animals/bobcat.htm

There is an adage in medicine, which applies to a lot of things... "if you are in North America and you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras"

 

[tomgamber]

I'm going with Bobcat. Have seen a few up that way. not big enough to be a lion in my uneducated opinion....

 

[JoelD]

There are still too many toes for it to be a bobcat.

I think it's a big freakin mutant raccoon.

 

[Chaz]

Only if it is a Nittany Lion would it have 5 toes. mountain Lions have four like all cats. I'd say a bear because of the size, based on this.

http://www.bear-tracker.com/bear.html

 

[Chaz]

What Hollow was that?

 

[tomgamber]

JoelD wrote:
There are still too many toes for it to be a bobcat.

The bottom one only has 4 toes and Greg said the top one does too..he said it just looks like 5.

Chaz wrote:
I'd say a bear because of the size, based on this.

What kind of bear Chaz? A teddy bear? It only 3 1/2 inches long.


Bobcat...

 

[tomgamber]

The bobcat's name was Cinderella...

 

[albatross]

Chaz, here's a link to a topo map showing the location link

Bobcat and cougar tracks are very similar and I have seen plenty of bobcats around here. It was jsut the size that made me think lion. A typical mountain lion track is 3.5 inches long by 4 inches wide which is a pretty close match to these tracks. A bobcat track is typically half that size. cougar vs bobcat

Tom, thanks for the overlay picture. That's pretty cool!

 

[brookie]

Are there any known populations of mountain lions here in the east or are they considered extinct?

 

[tomgamber]

I guess being a lying fisherman, 3.5 inches sounded kind of small.

 

[OlyphantLacky]

how go i add a photo on here?

 

[tomgamber]

See " NOTICE: Posting Links & Pictures Topic has Attachment" at the tops of the general forum page.

 

[sandfly]

Its a bear , as most know we have been tracking bears and bobcats for last couple weeks up here..Cats pads are different than the ones in the pics, also the 2 center toes on a cat are not equel..

 

[Chaz]

TG,
Look at the shadows of the tracks, both photos clearly show 5 toes, and oftentimes bear tracks show no claw maeks, it isn't the right shape for any CAT. I've never seen a mountain lion track, but I have seen bears tracks and bobcat tracks, so I know the difference between them, you apparently don't.
It is the track of a young bear.
There isn't a bobcat on the planet that has a track 3.5 to 4 inches across. BOTH pictures show 5 toes.

 

[tomgamber]

Chaz wrote:
TG,
I've never seen a mountain lion track, but I have seen bears tracks and bobcat tracks, so I know the difference between them, you apparently don't..

No Chaz, I really don't. It was quite evident when I attempted to overlay the tracks. It became more evident when sandfly mentioned the toes and I looked up some more bear track prints..I attempted to over lay one of those for you and it fit almost perfectly but it didn't show up very well so I didn't post it. It would have been a very small bear though. I'll agree it was a bear if you'll agree that you can't see more from a picture than the guy who took it could at the scene though. :lol: :lol:

 

[FarmerDave]

tomgamber wrote:
I'll agree it was a bear if you'll agree that you can't see more from a picture than the guy who took it could at the scene though. :lol: :lol:

Well, I would agree that the photographer had the potential to see more at the scene (in other words, he could). Whether he did or not is quite debatable. :lol:

Well, at least nobody tried to explain how it was a young Sasquatch track and the reason it looks that way is because young Sasquatch walk on all fours.

The tracks were made by a bear cub. An average adult black bear's front foot print is only about 5X5 inches. The message stated that the key is 3.5”. That means the track is pretty close to 4 inches wide by 4 inches long if you count that 5th toe. That is a reasonable size for one of this year’s cubs. Even 3.5 X 3.5 would be reasonable for a a same year cub, and the proportions are right.

There are 5 toes in each of those pictures. Remnant? Doubt it. Look closer at the top track. Did you notice the animal track it is right in the middle of a washed out vehicle track? Maybe he noticed it, maybe not, but he didn’t point it out. You can see the remnants of the tire edges running southwest to northeast on the picture, one on each side of the animal track. The animal track was made after the vehicle track, thus minimizing the chances that the “extra” toe was a remnant of something else. And what are the odds that you would have the same remnant in the same position on two different foot prints.