mountain lion

The species epithet concolor means “one color.” Mountain lions are uniformly buff above, lighter below. There is usually a dark stripe down the middle of the back. The neck, chest, and belly are lighter. The fur is short and dense. The back of the ears, the sides of the nose, and the tip of the tail are dark brown.

Juveniles (cubs) are spotted.

Total length: 34″ to 61″

Tail: 21″ to 32″

Mostly remote, heavily forested areas, but also agricultural areas.

18 to 20 years

Mostly deer

Sources

6, 24, 29, 30.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Cougar (Puma concolor), https://www.fws.gov/species/cougar-puma-concolor.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu, 6/21/2025).

Hennepin County (light green on the map) represents a sighting on MinnesotaSeasons.com of which the identity is “not certain.”

According to the Minnesota DNR, “there is no evidence of a viable breeding population in Minnesota.”

Occasional visitor

Higher-level classification
The taxonomy of mammals used on MinnesotaSeasons.com follows the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD). It differs from ITIS, iNaturalist, and Wikipedia, each of which differ from each other.

Genus
This species was formerly named Felis concolor, placed in the genus with the domestic cat. A comprehensive review of the Family Felidae (Wozencraft, 1993) concluded that it should be moved to the genus Puma, placing it in the genus with jaguarundi, a mammal only slightly larger than the domestic cat. The move was controversial because the species is more closely to the domestic cat than to the jaguar.

Until recently, 32 subspecies were recognized. In 2000, mitochondrial DNA analysis showed that most of those are too similar to deserve subspecies recognition. In 2005, Mammal Species of the World recognized only six subspecies, and only one, eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar), occurs in North America north of Latin America.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) concluded in 2011 that the eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar) has been extinct since the 1930s. Subsequent sightings in the eastern United States, according to USFWS, represent individuals that escaped or were released from captivity, individuals of a western subspecies that have wandered east, misidentification of smaller cat species, and deception or self-deception (akin to“bigfoot” sightings).

Onl two subspecies are currently recognized.

juveniles? not certain as these appear the size of Bobcats but tails are too long and ears are not tufted.

Captive – Wildlife Science Center

Cougar
DianesDigitals

Cougar
Valerie

Pumas (Cougars, Mountain Lions)
Steve Tracy Photography

Mountain Lion Biology
MtnLionFdn

Puma Concolor Couguar
AC Vector Control Services

Cougars: From the Mountains to Hollywood | Nat Geo Live
National Geographic

Eastern Cougar Declared Extinct
The Global Report TV

Mountain Lion Stand Off With Hiker
Trevor Rasmussen

Connie E
6/19/2025

Location: Lakeville, MN

Jumped 4ft fence ran through backyard and jumped other side of fence. Longer tail with some black body rusty colored but not as dark as a fox. Ran like a big cat with cat like tail. We live off cty rd 46 and high view.

Location: Rogers, MN

juveniles? not certain as these appear the size of Bobcats but tails are too long and ears are not tufted.

Location: Wildlife Science Center

Captive