Species: Bobcat (Lynx rufus); Mountain lion (Puma concolor)

What to look for

  1. Tail length. Bobcat 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 cm), which is where the name comes from. Mountain lion 21 to 37.5 inches (53 to 95 cm), with the last two to three inches black.
  2. Overall size. Bobcat total length 18 to 50 inches (46 to 127 cm) at 8 to 49 pounds. Mountain lion 5 to 8.5 feet at 64 to 141 pounds for females and 79 to 265 pounds for males.
  3. Coat. A bobcat is yellowish to reddish brown, streaked and spotted with black. A mountain lion is a plain grizzled gray, dark brown, buff, cinnamon or rufous with no spots.
  4. Ears and face. A bobcat has a short broad face and black ears with a central light spot, sometimes tufted. A mountain lion has a small head and small rounded ears that are not tufted.
  5. Track width. Mountain lion tracks are 2.75 to 3.75 inches (7 to 9.5 cm) wide. Bobcat tracks are less than 2 inches (5 cm) wide, with front prints 1.5 to 2.25 inches long.
  6. Toe shape in the track. Teardrop shaped on a mountain lion, more oval on a bobcat, and neither normally leaves claw marks.

Easily confused with

House cat. House cats are a common source of mountain lion reports because their tails are proportionally long, and young bobcat tracks are easily confused with a housecat's. Compare track width against the 2.75 to 3.75 inch figure for a lion.

Canada lynx. Lynx feet are very large for their body size with densely furred pads, so the track outline is less defined than a bobcat's crisp print.

Large dog. A dog heel pad shows a single indent where a cat's shows three lobes, and dog claws print blunt and flat where a cat's rarely print at all.

Where and when

In Missouri's guidance, bobcats are statewide and live in heavy forest cover broken by clearings, glades and rocky outcrops. Mountain lions hold a far smaller confirmed status there: Missouri counts the species as extirpated with no breeding population, while still logging confirmed sightings statewide. Use local agency range maps before treating a distant cat as a lion.

Keep your distance

Mountain lion encounters are uncommon, and your state wildlife agency publishes what to do in one for your area. Many also take reports of confirmed tracks or sightings, which is the useful thing to do with a clear photo.

Related signs

  • Coyote vs wolf: A gray wolf is roughly twice a coyote's size.
  • Bear tracks: A black bear leaves two very different prints.
  • Mountain lion tracks: A mountain lion track is round, 2.75 to 3.75 inches wide, with four teardrop-shaped toes and no claw marks.

Sources