Connecticut’s Mountain Lion Sightings Spark Laughter And Debate

Mountain Lion Spotted in Connecticut? NOPE

It’s a tale as old as time in Connecticut: someone claims to spot a mountain lion, and the internet immediately pounces.

These posts pop up often. Some are people who actually believe they've had a sighting, while others — like this one — are purely sarcastic attempts to rile people up and watch the chaos unfold. Both versions are equally entertaining, and CT Reddit can’t seem to get enough. Typically, you’ll see about three of these posts a year, and the thirst for this debate never seems to fade.

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The latest example came from u/Pure_Spring9657, who shared this photo along with the following caption:

Mountain Lion Sighting: Just saw this tonight on a hike. To protect the anonymity of the mountain lion, I will just say that it was seen in the greater Naugatuck River Valley area. It's hard to capture the true breadth of this creature on an Android phone, but I hope to capture better photos when I upgrade to an iPhone next week. Approximate length was 6 feet head to tail, which leads me to believe it's female.

Mountain lion sighting
byu/Pure_Spring_9657 inConnecticut

Then, people got busy checking in with their two cents. Here are some of my favorite responses:

Smattering82: Has anyone said bobcat yet?

Cautious_Midnight67: I couldn’t tell if OP was being sarcastic or if they actually thought this was a mountain lion.

Pure_Spring9657: Can you tell now?

Smattering82: You sly son of a bitch.

Shayntastic: As a 50+ year old woman and CT native, I can say unequivocally that the eastern cougar is not extinct. Meowwwwwwwww.

RocketCartLtd: Bobcat you can tell because of how it's a bobcat.

No_Paramedic_2039: The OP has misjudged the public’s ability to detect sarcasm.

n8dag8_09: What you saw was actually a hybrid. A Mountain Lion crossed with a Bengal Tiger. A “Mountain Tiger” or a “Bengal Lion” if you’d prefer. Incredibly docile and friendly towards humans.

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AlarmingLecture0: It’s a zebra

bmarvin35: I saw a werewolf in London.

Direlion: Wrong again. This is a Smilodon Populator, also known as the saber-tooth cat. Well known common apex predator in the southern New England area. While feared by the Pilgrim colonialists, much like fictitious witches who were actually women with valuable inheritances, the indigenous groups inhabiting the area maintained a live and let-live relationship for thousands of years. If in doubt, it’s never a mountain lion and always a Smilodon Populator.

Macropod: If you click on her profile, you’ll see that she recently spotted a Harpey Eagle on a crosswalk in New Haven.

We'll be worm food and this will still be going on.