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mountain lion tracks (and droppings?)

Puma concolor

Photo by textless
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Field Notes

Description:

We saw lots of lion tracks in a dry wash near Blanco, NM. The second photo shows a spot where they crossed a set of coyote tracks, making it easy to compare the sizes. I am confident about the tracks, but slightly less sure about the dropping pictured in the fourth photo. Lions sometime leave droppings in a prominent place on a path to mark territory, and these were definitely in the middle of a lion path. And unlike the coyote droppings nearby, they didn't show any evidence of juniper berries (a big part of the coyote diet in this area, at this time of year).

Reference Links:

Cougar, Mountain Lion Foundation

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (6)
Josh Asel
this is some kind of canine. claws are almost never exposed and mountain lions (and pretty much all cats if not all) also bury their poop. the 3rd toe leads with a round arc and not in a 1-2-1 pattern as is here. maybe a wolf if that large?
textless
I've seen a couple of bobcats at a distance, and I was scared of them even though they were obviously scared of me... I'd probably wet my pants if I saw anything bigger than that. I don't blame your horse for being spooked by large non-horse animals. :)
KarenSaxton
Interesting. I know I see some tracks here when I"m riding my horse. Needless to say I like to keep track of what I"m in the woods with as my horse tends to be a bit spooky. We saw a lynx once and he froze shivering all over. Can't imagine what would happen if he saw a mountain lion. There was one place where a male had obviously sprayed to mark territory though. Elk bother him the most, so we're always watching for fresh sign
textless
Hi Karen. Based on the location, size, and pattern of the large tracks, I'm pretty sure about them. The Mountain Lion Foundation site I used as a reference shows some that are very similar, and also discusses the claw-ish shape... I wish the heels were better defined - it was soft sand - but I'm still confident about it. You might be right about the smaller tracks though... I have more photos of them which I'll dig up later. Thanks! :) And Alice, I agree on both counts - fascinating and frustrating.
alicelongmartin
These signs of Wildlife can be so fascinating and a bit frustrating!
KarenSaxton
I'm not sure about those being cat track as I see some sign of claw/ toenail and the paws seem more elongated than wide. The droppings seem less formed than I am used to for wild cat scat. On another note the smaller tracks do not have signs of toenails. They are more likely to be bobcat or possibly fox than coyote. And although I know that local populations show some differences, our coyotes have rather long feet - like those of a running round. Just my observations.

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PublishedNovember 27, 2011

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