{"id":746442,"date":"2026-07-06T12:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/746442\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T12:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T12:36:11","slug":"mountain-lions-in-new-england-the-facts-behind-the-sightings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/746442\/","title":{"rendered":"Mountain lions in New England? The facts behind the sightings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Write to us at startingpoint@globe.com<\/a>. To subscribe, sign up here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As we have learned with Loch Ness, Bigfoot, and certain recent political assertions, any number of facts and court judgments can\u2019t kill a notion.<\/p>\n

Mountain lions in New England fit into this category, reports the Globe\u2019s Brooke Hauser<\/a>, who wondered if she saw one a while back in her yard. Brooke was disabused of the idea, but she has been swamped by New England readers insisting there are mountain lions here. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re breaking down Brooke\u2019s popular followup story<\/a> as a public service \u2014 and because this writer once yanked a 20-pound cockapoo from a too-close early morning encounter with a coyote, and later away from a padding black bear. And don\u2019t get me started about fisher cats.<\/p>\n

The facts<\/p>\n

Anyway, there is no proof of mountain lions in the region. The last confirmed sighting of a New England catamount was in 1938 in Maine. In 2018, the US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the eastern puma<\/a> from the federal endangered species list, due to extinction. The mountain lions also are called cougars or panthers, and again no proof they\u2019re roaming these parts, though that hasn\u2019t stanched unconfirmed reports.<\/p>\n

So what could they be?<\/p>\n

Maybe bobcats, who do roam New England. \u201cI think this is part of the confusion for people,\u201d Brooke told me yesterday, \u201csince we think bobcats basically look like big house cats \u2014 but from afar, some could look more like a mountain lion, especially if you can\u2019t see the defining features and can only see the size.\u201d<\/p>\n

The defining features<\/p>\n

That gets to the most important part. Photographs of bobcats have been misidentified as mountain lions, even though the mountain lions lack the \u201cface ruff\u201d of the bobcats.<\/p>\n

Some readers also wrote Brooke about the \u201ccoywolf<\/a>\u201a\u201d a cross between a western coyote and an eastern wolf. Perhaps, the reporter wrote diplomatically, that\u2019s \u201ca topic for another time.\u201d<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

Read: She thought she saw a mountain lion. Readers wrote back.<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83e\udde9 9 Across: Comfort<\/a> | \ud83c\udf27\ufe0f 74\u00b0 Cloudy, rain<\/a><\/p>\n

Offices to homes? A independent board suggests the US government could save $185.6 million if it sold the John W. McCormack US Post Office and Courthouse<\/a> in Boston\u2019s Financial District. Developers are eyeing apartments there.<\/p>\n

From the home of Julia Child: After years of cuts, GBH is touting a growth in donors and launching a statewide show<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who wants strawberries and watermelon? These refugee farmers are bringing their harvests to New England\u2019s \u201cfood deserts.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

$1,000 head start? Millions of children can get $1,000 from the government for retirement accounts. Will it shrink the wealth gap<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Tartan founder: This Scottish immigrant and Founding Father hated the idea of an Electoral College and even the Senate. Let the people choose without interference, James Wilson said<\/a>. Why don\u2019t we know more about him? <\/p>\n

Wrong-way crashes: They\u2019re deadlier than any other accident. Mass. is working to prevent them<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Eighth grade nightmare: Algebra was mandatory this year in Cambridge. More than 60 percent of students will have to retake it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"HotHot dogs in Boston have gone crazy this summer.Ilana Zahavy for The Boston<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf2d Hot dog summer: Move over ketchup, relish, and mustard. These Boston restaurants have topped themselves with toppings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa Nantucket misadventure: In this week\u2019s non-World Cup TV picks<\/a>, Jennifer Garner goes New England in \u201cThe Five-Star Weekend,\u201d a Burning Man documentary, and J.K. Simmons in an Irish gang battle (in New York, for once).<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe0 Home of the week: This one\u2019s brand new, with an indoor patio. Check out the three-bedroom condo<\/a> in Newton on the market for $1.6 million.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf86 See it again: How Boston celebrated the Fourth<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udecb\ufe0f Family counseling: \u201cI tried with a sibling. Are some things better left unsaid<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf69 Dunkin\u2019 merch: Do we even care anymore<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Hear ye! Hear ye! Readers rang the bell on Friday\u2019s 1776 Starting Point edition<\/a>. Bob Ponte, who usually reads a few stories from the newsletter, \u201cread every word. Thanks for a wonderful idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elaine Rush Arruda called Friday\u2019s newsletter \u201can absolute masterpiece. … Truly educational, witty, engaging, and on point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to all of you for reading. <\/p>\n

This newsletter was edited by Curt Woodward<\/a> and produced by Ryan Orlecki<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u2753 Have a question for the team? Email us at startingpoint@globe.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u270d\ud83c\udffc If someone sent you this newsletter, you can sign up for your own copy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcec Delivered Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n

Dave Beard can be reached at dave.beard@gmail.com<\/a>. Follow him on X @dabeard<\/a>.<\/p>\n