On this page The answer More official answers Which ones Where in the US Nearest official records Lookalikes If you see one Sources No.
DEC lists the eastern cougar's New York status as extirpated. The checklist puts cougar under rarely encountered species.
Source: NYSDEC
How we answer questions
Are there bears in New York? Yes. DEC estimates a minimum of 6,000-8,000 black bears in areas open to hunting, with 50-60% in the Adirondack region. NYSDEC
Are there moose in New York? Yes. DEC biologists estimated roughly 600-700 moose in the Adirondack Region as of 2018. NYSDEC
Yes. DEC says the eastern coyote is firmly established. NYSDEC
Related species on New York's list These are on New York's official list and are related to, or often confused with, mountain lions. They are not the same animal.
Photo: ArgentinaTurismo · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Puma concolor
Size Total length 5 to 8.5 feet including a 21 to 37.5 inch tail; males 79 to 265 lb, females 64 to 141 lb (Missouri Department of Conservation). How to recognize it Very large, slender cat with a small head, small rounded ears without tufts and a long, heavy tail. The tail may be one-third of the total length; much larger than a bobcat or lynx. Tracks: 2.75 to 3.75 inches wide, three lobes at the bottom of the heel pad, claw marks usually absent. Conservation New York Endangered Full Cougar guide
All mammals in the state: New York mammals .
Where the mountain lion lives in the US Texas: on the state's official list California: on the state's official list Wisconsin: on the state's official list Tennessee: on the state's official list New York: on the state's official list Idaho: on the state's official list Florida: on an official source Montana: on the state's official list Minnesota: on the state's official list Maryland: on the state's official list Iowa: on the state's official list Nebraska: on the state's official list Washington: on the state's official list South Dakota: on the state's official list Arkansas: on the state's official list Mississippi: on the state's official list Colorado: on the state's official list Utah: on the state's official list Oklahoma: on the state's official list Wyoming: on the state's official list West Virginia: on the state's official list Massachusetts: on the state's official list Nevada: on the state's official list North Dakota: on the state's official list Rhode Island: on the state's official list Michigan: on the state's official list Alaska: on the state's official list New Mexico: on the state's official list Alabama: on the state's official list Kansas: on the state's official list Arizona: on the state's official list Official presence. 31 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
Texas: 9 records California: 325 records Oregon: 11 records New York: 19 records Idaho: 11 records Florida: 15 records Montana: 19 records Ohio: 1 record Nebraska: 792 records Washington: 20 records South Dakota: 3 records Colorado: 34 records Utah: 14 records Wyoming: 4 records Nevada: 6 records Connecticut: 1 record New Mexico: 13 records New Hampshire: 1 record Arizona: 28 records Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 19 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
Mountain lion: identification, range and danger
Where official sources do confirm it Official sources confirm the mountain lion in 6 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Texas.
What else it could be Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Bobcats are smaller with short tails and are streaked and spotted with black; mountain lions are uniformly colored with a long tail. Bobcat tracks are under 2 inches wide.
Domestic dogs and coyotes (tracks) Dog and coyote tracks are symmetrical, show one indent at the bottom of the pad and usually claw marks; mountain lion tracks are asymmetrical with three lobes and usually no claw marks.
Misidentified sightings (dogs, house cats, coyotes, bobcats) Alabama: reported sightings are likely misidentified dogs, cats, coyotes and bobcats.
When mammals are seen in New York
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
25,019 records (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY). If you see one in New York Keep your distance and do not try to catch or handle it. Rattlesnake sightings or questions: your DEC Regional Wildlife Office. NYSDEC
Other questions about New York Sources Eastern Cougar . NYSDEC. archived copy, captured June 11, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Checklist of Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals of New York State, Including Their Legal Status (Tenth revision, February 2019) . NYSDEC Division of Fish and Wildlife. February 2019; checked November 3, 2026. Black Bear . NYSDEC. archived copy, captured July 11, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “Currently estimated at a minimum of 6,000-8,000 bears in areas open to hunting” Moose . NYSDEC. archived copy, captured June 16, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “DEC biologists estimated that there are roughly 600-700 moose in the Adirondack Region as of 2018” Coyote Conflicts . NYSDEC. archived copy, captured August 31, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “The Eastern coyote is firmly established in New York.” Timber Rattlesnake . NYSDEC. archived copy, captured October 15, 2026; checked November 3, 2026. Quoted passages (1) “To report sighting, or ask questions, contact your Regional Wildlife Office” GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page. 
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