Lions and cougars and ...

Whenever sightings of courgars are reported in the news media, a barrage of additional reports is unleashed along with claims of seeing mountain lions and panthers too.

Are we, indeed, living in a jungle with creatures usually seen only in zoos? Part of the confusion may be the result of what we call big animals when we see then in our neighborhoods or crossing the roads we travel.

According to the World Book encyclopedia, the animal in question is a mountain lion. But it also is called a cougar. Or catamount. Or puma. As a matter of fact, in eastern states the big cat is often called a panther (which, according to some authorities, only refers to large leopards). Confused yet?

World Book says a mountain lion can be gray, reddish or tawny. The heaviest mountain lion on record (our World Book was published in 1992) is 227 pounds, but they generally are in the 120-to-150-pound range.

The other thing that happens when mountain lions are spotted in these parts is the lack of confirmation from the conservation department -- the natural authority on such matters. The conservation agents would like to believe those individuals who report sightings, but they rely on hard evidence like tracks or photographs. Alas, folks who see a cat bigger than a sheepdog haven't been able to provide such proof.

If you see a cougar/mountain lion/panther/puma/catamount, please call the conservation department immediately. You never know what an agent might find in the way of real proof.