Otway Panther Photographed

[bruto]

You have young males that wandered all the way from the Badlands where they were born looking for females that they will never ever find because they are all still way back there in the Badlands (the Dakotas). The females don't wander. Young males have to wander because established older males drive them out. The goal of the young male is to walk until he finds an available female and then try to establish his own territory in the context of her.

If he walks east from the Badlands then he will not be finding any females even if he walks all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.



They have no home, so to speak. They left home and will now walk endlessly until they find a mate. But that won't happen unless they walk back to the Badlands.

That's kind of discouraging. Any chance that the females will start to drift a little eastward? Maybe a lonelyhearts ad..."Fun loving athletic STM (single tawny male), likes scent of pine, romantic rambles on the beach, sharing raw woodchuck, looking for adventurous STF willing to travel. Write Snagglepuss Box 31.."

 

[The Don]

I'm surprised* that this hasn't already been posted




* - and tbh a little disappointed

 

[EHocking]

It's interesting to me that the ABC folks have not pulled the biggest of the big cats into their fold. Tigers and African lions are very rare or nonexistent in the claims and claimed encounters with ABCs. It always seems to be a "panther" or a "puma" being claimed.

This may be because photos of house cats and dogs won't really inspire anyone to say, "Yes, that's a tiger" or "Yes, that's an African lion." So I think that a believing following for that claim maybe can't be easily established.

IOW, it's harder to hoax a tiger or lion because you can't just use a house cat or a dog like you can with panthers and pumas.

I'm speculating.

You'd be wrong.
A lion in Essex, UK was someone’s kitteh and a tiger in Southampton wasn’t even an animal.

 

[Emily's Cat]

Nobody would disagree.


There's no functional evidence of continued existence in the East even for a small population. They have been declared extinct for very good reason. They aren't there.

Is Florida not considered part of the Eastern US?

 

[StillSleepy]

Is Florida not considered part of the Eastern US?

Until very recently, the Western, Eastern, and Florida populations were considered distinct subspecies. The cougar went from 6-7 subspecies to only 2 subspecies following revision in 2017, which more or less correspond to the North and South American continents.

 

[Craig4]

No pumas in Victoria BC. They'd be cougars there.
But I'm from Montana, where we had Mountain Lions.

As a young man I encountered a cougar in Washington State. The experience left me with difficulties forming lasting relationships.

 

[Trebuchet]

You're traumatized by meeting a graduate of WSU?

 

[EHocking]

As a young man I encountered a cougar in Washington State. The experience left me with difficulties forming lasting relationships.

At my age, any cougar wanting to hit on me would be impeded by her life-support equipment.

 

[Trebuchet]

Can we do The Beast of Bodmin next? Why yes, I am a fan of Doc Martin!

 

[Emily's Cat]

Until very recently, the Western, Eastern, and Florida populations were considered distinct subspecies. The cougar went from 6-7 subspecies to only 2 subspecies following revision in 2017, which more or less correspond to the North and South American continents.

Ahh, I follow now. I didn't know the Florida subs-species was considered distinct.

 

[Emily's Cat]

You're traumatized by meeting a graduate of WSU?

Maybe he's a husky fellow.