Comments on: New “Lion” Sighting in Tennessee

By: mtn_man

mtn_man — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 03:45:41 +0000

That is a truly nice picture of an adult bobcat, I’m guessing around thirty five pounds or so. However rest assured there are a few mtn. lions here in our lovely state of TN. I’m an avid outdoorsman with over thirty five years in the woods and mtn’s and I have been blessed in seeing the cats on two occasions. I mean the big cats. Both were around seven feet long including the tail, and weighed in around one hundred and forty to sixty pounds. My gut tells me that on one of these faithful meetings I was actually being stalked by the big boy. I have taken somewhere around forty bobcats and over a hundred coyotes on my predator hunts. I also reported my first black bear over twenty years ago so believe me, there is no mistaken idents here. The ironic thing is, fish and wildlife agents laughed at me twenty years ago when I reported the bear. A truck struck and killed the old boy two weeks later a quarter mile from the location I gave them. Now we have lots of the big bears here in campbell co. Make no mistake you will soon hear more about the big cats in Tn. Ps. Both cats were rusty sable and sported a three by three track. I have friends who have seen tracks and one other sighting in the same general area around the cumberland mtn. and these folks know what is and what is not out there as well as I. Thanks for your time and your site.

By: meladd

meladd — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:08:30 +0000

We were going down McGavock Pike off Murfreesboro Road tonight heading toward Harding Pike when a large wild cat crossed in front of us and paused before going into the bushes. I was so shocked I could hardly speak! My husband saw it too. It was very spotted, had the rounded ‘cub’ ears, and a tail too long to be a bobcat. It was much larger than a housecat, but not as large as a puma. Besides, it was quite spotted. What could it be?

By: alisa fillmore

alisa fillmore — Sat, 28 May 2011 23:00:08 +0000

Hi midtnteach. Wow I just found your message and I’m so glad to hear you saw it, too. I called the TWA and they weren’t really interested, said it was probably a bobcat. I actually just stopped telling people about it, because I could tell they didn’t believe me. Oh well, it was something I’ll never forget and like my brother said most people go a lifetime without seeing a rare and beautiful creature like that. Take care

By: midtnteach

midtnteach — Sun, 22 May 2011 04:00:53 +0000

Oh my gosh! Alisa Fillmore, I live in Cane Ridge too, and was driving north on Edmondson Pike between Concord Rd. and Holt Rd. yesterday, May 20, and I saw this very same animal. It ran across the road several yards in front of my car. I did different searches online trying to identify the cat, and finally came across this page and your post. From the brief reading I did, it seems that caracals can actually be kept as pets?! So perhaps this was once someone’s pet in this area?

By: alisa fillmore

alisa fillmore — Thu, 05 May 2011 15:04:50 +0000

I have seen this big cat yesterday. I’m sure of it. Not a bob cat, but a caracal. The head had an egyptian look and the body long and sleek, color greyish and tan, black tufts on the ears and the short tail kind of curling up with a little black on the edges. Beautiful looking animal. It probably weighed 30-40 lbs. It’s coat was smooth and sleek and not furry like a bobcat. It could be another one, but they’re so rare. Anyway no one is interested in my story, but I thought maybe you would be. Oh yeah I live in Cane Ridge, TN about 15 miles SE of Nashville.

By: cato9tails

cato9tails — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:53:38 +0000

Also as Drew S mentioned this kitten was a plain dark brown (no spots of any kind)

By: cato9tails

cato9tails — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:50:27 +0000

Hey, I Googled the wild cats to try and figure out what I saw running across the road here in Kentucky (we are about 30 miles north of the Tennessee border)… this is how I ended up here and what I saw has the tufted tail like the “mystery cat” photos. The tail is white underneath. The ears looked like rounded cub ears. The bobcat and lynx baby photos I looked at all had the stumpy tail (not sticking up like the photo here). My husband think I’m nuts too, as I also saw a bear cub not too long ago and he told me it must have been a dog. Turns out the bear lives in a cave near the lake.

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:09:50 +0000

Don’t forget those beautiful tufted ears on caracal and lynx, which are two wonderful examples of similar evolutionary solutions for the need to pick up sounds in the deserts of the sands and snows.

By: kittenz

kittenz — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:00:21 +0000

Actually, caracals are no longer considered to be lynxes, nor to be within the lynx lineage. Instead they are classified in the African Golden Cat lineage, and the similarity to lynxes is probably due to both species having evolved for lightning speed and power when jumping to catch their respective prey.

By: harleyb

harleyb — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:59:32 +0000

I live in middle TN and drive along I-65 all week long. I have not heard of this particular sighting until now. I have had stories told to me about sightings in other parts of the state, so it is definetely some strange animals in my state.