According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the state has 2 different native species of wild cats. They are the bobcat and the mountain lion. However, mountain lions have been expatriated from Missouri since the early 1900s. The only existing wild cat species with a breeding population in Missouri is the bobcat. Bobcats join black bears as one of the state’s top predators.
People occasionally report black panther sightings in Missouri. However, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation, these animals do not exist within the state. We’ll talk about back panthers towards the bottom of this article.
Bobcats in Missouri (Lynx rufus)
Bobcats are exclusively North American wild cats and are also the most common wild cat species in North America.
Aside from feral cats, they are the only wild feline predator with a breeding population in the state of Missouri.
Some other names for the bobcat are bay lynx, red lynx, and swamp devil.
Biologists believe that both the bobcat and the Canada lynx are descendants of the Eurasian lynx, and their ancestors crossed into North America via the Bearing Sea land bridge.
Where do bobcats live?
These small wild cats live in three North American countries. Their range begins in southern Canada and then extends south through most of the continental United States and down into central Mexico.
In Missouri, bobcats used to primarily live in the Ozarks and the Bootheel. However, in recent years, their populations have expanded westward and northward.
In the Show Me State, bobcats prefer to live in heavy forest cover such as second-growth timber with thick underbrush that is broken with clearings, such as glades and rocky outcrops. However, they are able to thrive in any terrestrial habitat with sufficient cover and prey animals.
Compared to Canadian lynx, which thrive in deep snow country, bobcats struggle more in the snow due to the fact that they cannot walk on top of it like lynx can. A lynx’s huge paws function like snowshoes keeping it on the snow’s surface. They’re very good at hunting snowshoe hares on top of the snow in the boreal forests of Canada.
On the other hand, compared to lynxes, bobcats have small feet that tend to sink into the snow. Bobcat tracks are about half as wide as lynx tracks. If the snow is too deep and powdery, it reduces their mobility along with their ability to catch prey. This is why the bobcat range dies out in southern Canada from there on north, Canada lynx are more prevalent and bobcats, less so.
These cats are mostly crepuscular or nocturnal animals, but it’s not uncommon to see one out and about in the daytime because they only sleep for 2 to 3 hours at a time.
Bobcats are solitary animals with the exceptions of during mating season or when a female is raising young. They are territorial and live in home ranges that they patrol and scent mark with urine and feces.
The size of bobcat home ranges varies with the geography and the availability of food items. Male bobcat ranges are generally larger than female bobcat home ranges.
One more thing about home ranges is that adult males and adult females sometimes have overlapping ranges.
What do bobcats look like?
Adult bobcats are about twice the size of domestic cats. A domestic cat has a longer tail than a bobcat, though. Bobcats are 2 to 4 feet long with proportionately long legs.
Male Missouri bobcats are roughly 39 inches in length and weigh 20 to 30 pounds. On the other hand, females weigh 10 to 25 pounds.
These animals have “bobbed,” short tails with black bands on their upper surface. The tip of the tail is black on its upper surface but not the back. Their fur is usually gray to brown, with mottled black spots interspersed with black lines on their bodies. They also have black stripes on their inner forelegs and tail.
From a side view, you will notice that a bobcat is slightly higher at the rump than at the shoulders. Bobcats and lynx have long hind legs in proportion to their forelegs.
Bobcats have black-tufted, proportionately large ears. In other words, they have short ear tufts of hair that poke up above their ears that are black at the tips. They have black ears with white spots in the center of each ear’s backside. This gives the impression of a false eye on the back of each ear.
They also have a whiskered face that seems broader due to their long ruffled facial hair and whiskers. Their eyes are yellow with round black pupils.
What do bobcats eat in Missouri?
Despite their comparatively small size, bobcats are aggressive, tough predators. At times, they take down large prey that is several times bigger than they are, such as wild hogs and white-tailed deer. However, their regular diets mainly consist of small mammals such as eastern cottontail rabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits, swamp rabbits, gray squirrels, fox squirrels, red squirrels, and assorted rodents. They also eat birds, such as the wild turkey, the ring-necked pheasant, and various songbirds, reptiles, insects, and carrion. When they take up residence close to a residential area, their menu might occasionally also include domestic animals, such as stray cats, small pets, and/or small livestock, such as goats or chickens.
Francis Skalicky with the Missouri Department of Conservation says, “bobcats are skittish animals, so it’s rare even to see them.” However, when they take up residence adjacent to human populations, they do pose a risk to small pets, so keep a wary eye out. See
They depend on their keen eyesight and sense of hearing to help them locate prey.
Bobcats are the definition of opportunistic predators and will prey on whatever wild animals are most plentiful.
Bobcats even use venomous snakes as a food source when the opportunity arises despite not being immune to the venom. They accomplish this by using their quickness to pin the snake’s head down with a paw, after which they dispatch the snake with a quick bite to its spine behind the head.
The venomous snakes in the state of Missouri are the Western Pygmy Rattlesnake, the Timber Rattlesnake, the Eastern Coral Snake, The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, the Western Cottonmouth, and the Osage Copperhead. See
Reproduction and life cycle for bobcats
Bobcats mate anywhere in February and March. During the breeding season, a male bobcat may mate with multiple females. If they successfully mate, the gestation period for bobcats is 60 days.
After breeding, the male and female go their separate ways. The female takes all responsibility for the selection of a den site and the rearing of the young. Females generally give birth between late April and early May. See
Look for maternal dens in a wooded area. Bobcats use features such as a rock outcropping, hollow trees or hollow logs, openings in the ground, the root masses of overturned stumps, or the space beneath a fallen tree as denning sites.
A bobcat litter consists of anywhere from 1 to 5 kittens. The average litter size, though, is around 3. Bobcat kittens are born with their eyes sealed, just like domestic cats are. However, their eyes will open when they are a week to 10 days old. By the time they are 2 months old, they will have replaced their spotted baby fur with a haircoat similar to what their parents have.
By mid-July, the kittens begin to venture out with the mother bobcats to fine-tune their survival skills. Their training may last into the early winter. By mid-winter, the kittens strike out on their own.
Female bobcats reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age, while males reach sexual maturity at age 2.
The average life span of a wild bobcat is 7 to 10 years. See
Mountain lions in Missouri (Puma concolor)
Mountain lions are spread over a large geographic area that covers parts of all three American continents. Consequently, they have many regional names. In 1834, their scientific name was even changed from Felis concolor to Puma concolor. Some common names that mountain lions go by are cougar, panther, painter, and puma.
Although mountain lions were more common in Missouri prior to the time of colonization by European settlers, they were expatriated from the state by the early twentieth century. The last known mountain lion in Missouri was killed in the bootheel area in 1927.
There have been numerous confirmed mountain lion sightings in Missouri since then. However, wildlife officials attribute these to semi-juvenile cats striking out on their own from expanding cougar populations west of Missouri.
The reason for this is that mountain lions have home ranges that cover up to 250 square miles, what’s more, male mountain lions fight to the death sometimes over disputed home range territories. Consequently, young males travel hundreds of miles sometimes in search of their own home range. A famous example of this occurred in 2011 when a young male cougar traveled over 1500 miles from South Dakota to eventually be killed by a car in Connecticut. See
What do mountain lions look like?
A Mountain lion looks like a giant house cat with short tan hair. One of these animals is much bigger than a domestic cat, though. They generally have lean, muscular bodies, rounded heads, and upright ears that are oval at the tip. They also have a long, black-tipped tail. Their tail accounts for almost one-third of their entire length. Their long tail helps them keep balance.
Mountain lions have a light brown coat of short, coarse hair over most of their body. The area around their nose, the tip of their tail, and the tips of their ears are black. Their belly, the area above their upper lip, lower lip, and chin are all white. They also have a sprinkling of dark hair on their backs. Bear in mind, though, that their coat color varies somewhat with geographic location.
Male and female mountain lions are phenotypically identical in every respect except for size. Males are 30 to 40% bigger than females. Though sizes vary considerably throughout the cat’s geographic range, an adult male or tom typically weighs between 110 and 180 pounds, 50 to (82 kgs). A rare few of them grow bigger than 200 pounds (91kgs). Female mountain lions or queens average between 80 and 130 pounds (36 to 59 kgs). Adult males or toms will reach 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 M) from their snout to the tip of their tail. On the other hand, adult females are 5 to 7 feet long (1.5 to 2.1 M).
Mountain lions are the fourth largest wildcat in the world. They are also the second largest wild cat in the western hemisphere. They are smaller in size than the Jaguar in the Americas. However, worldwide, the African Lion and the Tiger are also larger.
Large cats but not big cats
A fun fact is that despite their large size, they are not taxonomically classified as big cats because they cannot roar. Leopards, for example, are smaller than mountain lions, but since they can roar and cannot purr, they are classified as big cats, while mountain lions are not. Another interesting thing that I can mention here is that mountain lions purr.
Since they purr and cannot roar, mountain lions are in the Felis genus. Meanwhile, big cats, such as the African lion, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, and jaguars which cannot purr and can roar, are in the Panthera genus. “A side note, I listed snow leopards separately from leopards because they are a separate species.”
Where are they typically found?
Mountain lions live on all three American Continents. Their range begins in the Yukon territory of Canada in the north and extends down through parts of North America, Central America, and South America to Argentine Patagonia in the south.
The biggest populations in Canada are in British Columbia and Alberta. On the other hand, in the United States, they mainly live in the western states and Florida. The people of Florida call this elusive cat the Florida Panther.
The known breeding mountain lion populations that are closest to Missouri are in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas
What do mountain lions eat?
Mountain lions are opportunistic predators that hunt mostly nocturnally, stalking their prey, mainly deer, from behind. In Missouri, this would be a white-tailed deer.
On average, a mountain lion kills a deer once a week. Additionally, they consume elk, coyotes, raccoons, birds, rats, feral pigs, porcupines, skunks, snakes, small pets, domestic livestock, and literally any other native wildlife they can catch.
Do mountain lions ever harm humans?
I’ve taken much of the following section from another one of my blog posts entitled “Are Mountain Lions Dangerous?” Found here.
Fatal mountain lion attacks on humans are extremely rare. In fact, there are only 20 records of fatal mountain lion attacks on humans in all of North America in the last 100 years. Don’t let that fact lull you into a complete sense of false security, though. There have been many more mountain lion attacks over the years that didn’t result in a fatality. Mountain lions are, in fact, dangerous.
A mountain lion is a formidably tough wild predatory animal. They can run 40 to 50 miles per hour for short bursts. Additionally, they can leap 18 feet vertically and 40 feet horizontally to catch their prey. These ninja-like predators typically stalk their prey from behind and then leap on an animal’s back. They then crush their cervical spine or larynx with their powerful jaws. They have a bite force of 750 pounds per square inch.
Some factors that cause mountain lions to attack humans
The majority of the time, mountain lions use their ghost-like skills to avoid human contact. On rare occasions, though, they attack humans. Below are a few of the reasons why.
- If the cougar has an injury or some sort of impairment that prevents it from killing its normal prey, it’ll be more likely to look at a person as potential prey.
- Male mountain lions engage in fights for territory. Some of their battles are to the death. A percentage of cougar attacks on humans are perpetrated by hungry semi-juvenile toms that have been kicked out of territories with a more abundant food supply.
- Scientific data suggests that mountain lions that were orphaned at a young age are more likely to attack humans. This is possibly because they missed the part of their training where their mothers taught them that humans are to be feared.
If a mountain lion is stalking you
- Never run away. According to a Multidisciplinary Journal of the Interactions of People and Animals, those who try to run away when they encounter a mountain lion put themselves at greater risk of sustaining serious injuries and even death. Running away triggers a lion’s instinct to chase.
- Stay as calm as you can. Panic is your enemy. In a survival situation such as this, a cool head will put you at a better advantage.
- Speak firmly in a loud voice but avoid a high-pitched tone or screaming
- You need to hold your ground when the cat is coming towards you and slowly back away when it pauses its approach
- Stand upright. Avoid bending over or crouching down as much as possible, as this puts you in the vulnerable position of appearing like a small, four-legged animal that can easily become prey.
- Open your jacket if you’re wearing one to appear larger. and wave your arms slowly to give yourself the appearance of having as much size as possible as you back away slowly. You can also throw rocks, sticks, or other objects at the lion.
- If you’re walking with a child, pick them up and hold them in your arms.
If you’ve done all the above, there’s still that small chance that you’ll still be attacked by the mountain lion. You need to be mentally prepared for this. At this point, do not panic and freeze up. In order to survive, you’ll need to fight back with as much aggression as you can muster.
Historical accounts show that people have successfully fought mountain lions off with their bare hands, sticks, rocks, garden tools, or any other weapon within reach. You already have a ready-made weapon if you’re using a walking stick. Target sensitive areas such as the eyes and nose, and hit as hard as you can! You should also try to remain standing if possible. You’ll lose some of your advantage on the ground. If you get knocked down, try as hard as possible to protect your neck and head as you continue to fight back.
Are there black panthers in Missouri?
According to the Missouri Dept. of Natural resources, the answer to that question is no. People in the Show me state occasionally report black panther sightings, but they are inevitably cases of mistaken identity. Small black bears, fishers, river otters, black house cats, and black Labradors can all be mistaken for black panthers if the lighting is bad.
In 2008 law enforcement officers killed an actual black panther in rural Newton County after it approached a woman in her yard. However, on further examination of the animal, wildlife officials discovered that all of its retractable claws had been removed. This indicated that it was somebody’s pet. The experts further discovered that the animal was a leopard. See
What we call black panthers are either melanistic leopards or melanistic Jaguars. There has never been a documented case of a black mountain lion.
Leopards live in Africa and Asia, while Jaguars live in South America, Central America, and North America.
In recent years the closest that jaguars have been documented to be to Missouri is the American desert southwest.
The odds of a jaguar being in Missouri are not completely out of the realm of possibility, but it isn’t likely, either. To further compound the odds of unlikeliness, black jaguars are extremely rare, so even if a jaguar somehow wandered from Mexico to Missouri, the odds are infinitesimally low that that jaguar would be black.
