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Are there mountain lions in North Carolina?

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. The answer
  2. More official answers
  3. Where in the US
  4. Nearest official records
  5. Lookalikes
  6. If you see one
  7. Sources

No.

NCWRC classifies the eastern cougar as extinct, abundance none.

Source: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

How we answer questions

Where the mountain lion lives in the US

Texas: on the state's official listCalifornia: on the state's official listWisconsin: on the state's official listTennessee: on the state's official listNew York: on the state's official listIdaho: on the state's official listFlorida: on an official sourceMontana: on the state's official listMinnesota: on the state's official listMaryland: on the state's official listIowa: on the state's official listNebraska: on the state's official listWashington: on the state's official listSouth Dakota: on the state's official listArkansas: on the state's official listMississippi: on the state's official listColorado: on the state's official listUtah: on the state's official listOklahoma: on the state's official listWyoming: on the state's official listWest Virginia: on the state's official listMassachusetts: on the state's official listNevada: on the state's official listNorth Dakota: on the state's official listRhode Island: on the state's official listMichigan: on the state's official listAlaska: on the state's official listNew Mexico: on the state's official listAlabama: on the state's official listKansas: on the state's official listArizona: 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.
  • Native or listed
  • Nonnative or not established
  • No official record in our data
Texas: 9 recordsCalifornia: 325 recordsOregon: 11 recordsNew York: 19 recordsIdaho: 11 recordsFlorida: 15 recordsMontana: 19 recordsOhio: 1 recordNebraska: 792 recordsWashington: 20 recordsSouth Dakota: 3 recordsColorado: 34 recordsUtah: 14 recordsWyoming: 4 recordsNevada: 6 recordsConnecticut: 1 recordNew Mexico: 13 recordsNew Hampshire: 1 recordArizona: 28 records
Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 19 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+

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

  • Bobcat
    Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

    Bobcat

    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 North Carolina

6,357 records (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY).

If you see one in North Carolina

Keep your distance and do not try to catch or handle it. NC Wildlife Helpline (NCWRC), Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.: 866-318-2401; email [email protected]. Aquatic invasive species: NCWRC Aquatic Nuisance Species Reporting Tool (https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/710337fbf02140599fd788ebfdd72744). Rattlesnake sightings: [email protected] or HerpMapper. Wildlife violations / alligator emergencies: 800-662-7137. Yellow-legged hornet: www.ncagr.gov/YLH (NCDA&CS). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Other questions about North Carolina

Sources

  1. Eastern Cougar (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
  2. Armadillo, Nine-Banded (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “…reaching North Carolina in the late 2000s, primarily from natural dispersal from adjacent states.”
  3. Coyote (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Abundance: Common throughout state”
  4. Black Bear (NCWRC species page). N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Common in coastal and mountain regions of the state; uncommon in the Piedmont region”
  5. Have a Wildlife Problem? N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “The Wildlife Helpline is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call: 866-318-2401”
  6. 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.