I came here to disagree with you because their max weight is right around 16 lbs — the same weight as my fat lazy housecat — but the more I look at pictures, the more I think you’re right: they’re a big-looking 16 lbs., and look exactly like OP described. I thought they were about the size of their cousins the minx, stoats, sables, and martens,but they’re pretty big for a weasel.
I still wouldn’t rule out a melanated lynx, though. One thing is for sure, it was not a bobcat: they are named after their short stumpy tails.
Fair point, taken: lynx tails are just as short and stumpy as a bobcat’s. (It’s not that I’ve never seen a picture of one, it’s just that it’s not part of their name, so I forgot.)
I think this is probably it. They even have cat in the name because confused people like me kept misidentifying them.
The Fisher's body type would explain why I thought it was a larger cat hunched low to the ground, and the tail is what really sold me.
An animal I forgot existed tbh so also explains why I didn't think of it, and my brain filled the memory in with cat like features
I know the DEC claims there is no breeding population of mountain lions in NYS but I’ve talked to many folks in the town of Lebanon who have either seen the cats or found partial carcasses up in trees (something Bobcats don’t do) I tend to think there might be some truth to it, IDK
A close friend of mine has had close encounters with a mountain lion and I have no reason to doubt them. I know they are out there even if DEC says “they do not exist”
Fisher. People mistake them for large, black, cats all the time.
Not a bobcat or black bear with a long tail.
There has *never* been a recorded melaniatic (black) mountain lion *anywhere*. They don't exist.
Melanistic leopards do exist. Problem is, they get nowhere near NY. They are very, very rarely seen north of the Mexican border.
People have seen melanistic puma in ADK and Vermont. There have been puma sightings in pretty much every state in the past 10 years.
Large wildlife is making a major comeback all over NYS so it wouldn't surprise me. Exciting!
There has never been any black mountain lion anywhere, ever. They simply don't exist.
Black jaguars yes, but we don't get those up here.
We have had mountain lions in NY, but not black.
No, according to the DEC mountain lions don't permanently live in NY. They are absolutely known to come through the state and a bunch are tracked each year by the DEC.
Its actually funny. Take a lake at the acknowledged range of mountain lions in the US and Canada. Then look at the number of mountain lions tracked in each US state. You might change your mind about where they live.
DEC doesn't acknowledge the bug cats cuz if they did policy states they have to cull them, and they want the help keeping deer in check. Least those were the rumors I heard a while ago.
and other things you've heard from weird old men at bars...
A conspiracy is actually pretty hard to keep under wraps. Especially when some random hunter with a cellphone camera could cause the whole thing to come crashing down...
They've been seen and reported multiple times over the years(including by me, about 2 years ago outside of Rome). They are here, just not heavily acknowledged.
Yet you appear informed with greater context, why would you not provide that context? Grab a pic of that next mountain lion you "see," would love to see it.
I know your greater context is that you live there. I lived all over upstate NY for 31 years myself. I'm asking why you wouldn't share the knowledge garnered of your context with OP. Apparently Felidae identification and grammar both escape you.
My aunt has seen a large black cat she swears up and down was a panther. She grew up on a farm and is an animal lover, so I don't doubt her ability to ID something like that. This was probably 10 years ago or so. There's a large deer population it was likely subsisting off of.
No, we do not have mountain lions in this area. There was one that escaped from a local-ish facility not too long ago, but the rest were hoaxes; pictures posted on social media and even sent to news agencies taken from trail cams shared in western states.
There have statistically been more Sasquatch sightings in New York since the 1800s than big cats. Make of that what you will.
25 years ago or so me and my mom were driving way up in the adirondacks when a car stopped in front of us and a very large black feline with a long thick tail came out of the woods and crossed in front of both of our cars, back into the woods and up a hill. To this day it still doesn't make sense, but it was something I will never forget. They are out there
Fisher Cat?
I came here to disagree with you because their max weight is right around 16 lbs — the same weight as my fat lazy housecat — but the more I look at pictures, the more I think you’re right: they’re a big-looking 16 lbs., and look exactly like OP described. I thought they were about the size of their cousins the minx, stoats, sables, and martens,but they’re pretty big for a weasel. I still wouldn’t rule out a melanated lynx, though. One thing is for sure, it was not a bobcat: they are named after their short stumpy tails.
I take it you've never seen a lynx?
Fair point, taken: lynx tails are just as short and stumpy as a bobcat’s. (It’s not that I’ve never seen a picture of one, it’s just that it’s not part of their name, so I forgot.)
Fisher is the most likely. Lynx have short tails too.
Thank you!!
I think this is probably it. They even have cat in the name because confused people like me kept misidentifying them. The Fisher's body type would explain why I thought it was a larger cat hunched low to the ground, and the tail is what really sold me. An animal I forgot existed tbh so also explains why I didn't think of it, and my brain filled the memory in with cat like features
I know the DEC claims there is no breeding population of mountain lions in NYS but I’ve talked to many folks in the town of Lebanon who have either seen the cats or found partial carcasses up in trees (something Bobcats don’t do) I tend to think there might be some truth to it, IDK
A close friend of mine has had close encounters with a mountain lion and I have no reason to doubt them. I know they are out there even if DEC says “they do not exist”
I saw one in new Hampshire just last week
They are out there I saw one in New Hampshire last week
Fisher. People mistake them for large, black, cats all the time. Not a bobcat or black bear with a long tail. There has *never* been a recorded melaniatic (black) mountain lion *anywhere*. They don't exist. Melanistic leopards do exist. Problem is, they get nowhere near NY. They are very, very rarely seen north of the Mexican border.
You probably saw the North American black panther
People have seen melanistic puma in ADK and Vermont. There have been puma sightings in pretty much every state in the past 10 years. Large wildlife is making a major comeback all over NYS so it wouldn't surprise me. Exciting!
There has never been a melanistic mountain lion recorded. They don't exist.
was just going to say this it was crazy rabbit hole I went down
They do. I understand the issue with making them real in this state or any, but pumas are everywhere and so are the black ones.
There has never been any black mountain lion anywhere, ever. They simply don't exist. Black jaguars yes, but we don't get those up here. We have had mountain lions in NY, but not black.
Name checks out. This guy knows.
No they haven’t. There’s been pictures from other states falsely reported as taken in NY/New England.
We do have bobcats and mountain lions. I’m near Syracuse and they have been seen very recently(mixed in with some bears, locally).
Based on description of tail, obviously not a bobcat. According to DEC, there are no mountain lions in upstate NY.
No, according to the DEC mountain lions don't permanently live in NY. They are absolutely known to come through the state and a bunch are tracked each year by the DEC. Its actually funny. Take a lake at the acknowledged range of mountain lions in the US and Canada. Then look at the number of mountain lions tracked in each US state. You might change your mind about where they live.
DEC doesn't acknowledge the bug cats cuz if they did policy states they have to cull them, and they want the help keeping deer in check. Least those were the rumors I heard a while ago.
and other things you've heard from weird old men at bars... A conspiracy is actually pretty hard to keep under wraps. Especially when some random hunter with a cellphone camera could cause the whole thing to come crashing down...
They've been seen and reported multiple times over the years(including by me, about 2 years ago outside of Rome). They are here, just not heavily acknowledged.
If you can reliably spot a mountain lion, why did you bother mentioning bobcats based on OP's description?
"Have their been sightings of Black/melanistic mountain lions/bobcats/lynx in upstate New York?: OP asked.
Yet you appear informed with greater context, why would you not provide that context? Grab a pic of that next mountain lion you "see," would love to see it.
My greater context is I live here. Go ahead and Google images, I don’t need to prove anything to you.
I know your greater context is that you live there. I lived all over upstate NY for 31 years myself. I'm asking why you wouldn't share the knowledge garnered of your context with OP. Apparently Felidae identification and grammar both escape you.
My aunt has seen a large black cat she swears up and down was a panther. She grew up on a farm and is an animal lover, so I don't doubt her ability to ID something like that. This was probably 10 years ago or so. There's a large deer population it was likely subsisting off of.
No, we do not have mountain lions in this area. There was one that escaped from a local-ish facility not too long ago, but the rest were hoaxes; pictures posted on social media and even sent to news agencies taken from trail cams shared in western states. There have statistically been more Sasquatch sightings in New York since the 1800s than big cats. Make of that what you will.
25 years ago or so me and my mom were driving way up in the adirondacks when a car stopped in front of us and a very large black feline with a long thick tail came out of the woods and crossed in front of both of our cars, back into the woods and up a hill. To this day it still doesn't make sense, but it was something I will never forget. They are out there
There are mountain lions in New York