Help Wanted: Are these mountain lion tracks?

[Devin]

Howdy folks,

I was wondering if anyone out there could tell me whether or not these are from a mountain lion?
Took the pic in Ernie's Country in the Maze last September (2024), in a side canyon with no sign of any recent human activity.
Saw them cross the wash in a few other places, but this was the clearest set.

(I've never felt confident about ID'ing prints, but in my mind, due to their size, they were definitely mountain lion, and they put a spring in my step. haha).

I hope you all are having a good one.

 

[RyanP]

I'm terrible with prints, but I will say that on our trip to the Maze last Spring we saw a coyote one morning (in Ernie's country) and heard coyotes one evening.

 

[balzaccom]

Those do look like puma tracks to me. Coyote or dog prints have clear claw/toe marks, and the ones in your photo do not. Depending on size, they could also be bobcat...

 

[Jorey]

Very hard to tell from photo.

Cat prints have claw mark on the leading toe, and 3 lobes on the bottom of main pad, whereas dog has only 2, for future reference.

 

[jholmes01]

These are the guidelines I use for cat tracks:

The general rules for identifying cat vs. dog tracks still apply to mountain lions and bobcats, but there are more specific details that help distinguish them from each other and from domestic animals.

Here's a breakdown:

• Claw Marks: Like domestic cats, both mountain lions and bobcats have retractable claws, so their tracks almost never show claw marks. If you see claw marks, the track is much more likely to be from a dog, coyote, or fox.
• Main Pad Lobes: Feline tracks, including those of mountain lions and bobcats, typically have a heel or main pad with a distinct M-shape or two lobes at the front and three lobes at the back. Canine tracks, by contrast, have a main pad with only two lobes at the back.
• Asymmetry: Mountain lion tracks are asymmetrical. If you were to draw a line through the middle of the track, the toes on one side would be slightly ahead of the toes on the other.
• Size: This is the most crucial way to tell the difference. Mountain lion tracks are much larger than bobcat tracks.
  • Mountain lion tracks are typically 3-5 inches wide.
  • Bobcat tracks are about 1.75-2.5 inches wide, which is roughly twice the size of a domestic cat's track.

For more detailed information and visual examples, you can look up resources on identifying mountain lion tracks or how to identify bobcat tracks.

 

[balzaccom]

These are the guidelines I use for cat tracks:

The general rules for identifying cat vs. dog tracks still apply to mountain lions and bobcats, but there are more specific details that help distinguish them from each other and from domestic animals.

Here's a breakdown:

• Claw Marks: Like domestic cats, both mountain lions and bobcats have retractable claws, so their tracks almost never show claw marks. If you see claw marks, the track is much more likely to be from a dog, coyote, or fox.
• Main Pad Lobes: Feline tracks, including those of mountain lions and bobcats, typically have a heel or main pad with a distinct M-shape or two lobes at the front and three lobes at the back. Canine tracks, by contrast, have a main pad with only two lobes at the back.
• Asymmetry: Mountain lion tracks are asymmetrical. If you were to draw a line through the middle of the track, the toes on one side would be slightly ahead of the toes on the other.
• Size:This is the most crucial way to tell the difference. Mountain lion tracks are much larger than bobcat tracks.
  • Mountain lion tracks are typically 3-5 inches wide.
  • Bobcat tracks are about 1.75-2.5 inches wide, which is roughly twice the size of a domestic cat's track.

For more detailed information and visual examples, you can look up resources on identifying mountain lion tracks or how to identify bobcat tracks.

For comparison, these were identified by a backcountry ranger as puma tracks:

 

[John Morrow]

I know they are in the area. These tracks are in Water Canyon trib of Horseshoe (Barrier) Canyon. I can't really tell if those Devin posted are dog or cat due to the faded nature of the print in the soft sand. General shape seems right. Wet sand made mine easy to ID. Didn't like that they were ahead of me in a box canyon that I couldn't locate an exit for near the final rappel of the down canyon route. The cats must have found one but weren't leaving tracks on slickrock.


cougar tracks ahead of me by John Morrow, on Flickr


Oh, s__t, 2 of 'em? by John Morrow, on Flickr


cougar following deer by John Morrow, on Flickr


only recent visitor to Water Canyon by John Morrow, on Flickr

 

[Outdoor_Fool]

Definitely lion tracks. @John Morrow Hard to tell for sure on my phone but those deer tracks look like the deer and cat were going two separate direction.

 

[Devin]

Thanks so much for all of the replies!

My (very loosely informed) take at the time was that they were too big to be bobcat, and were wider/rounder than what I thought (again with a high level of ignorance) would be attributed to a coyote.

The loose sand is for sure not helping here, as it would indeed be possible for claw marks to have disappeared.
As opposed to John Morrow's pics, which belong in a textbook! Thanks for posting those!

And thanks also for the great summary, jholmes01!

I have never heard coyotes in the Maze, though I definitely heard some very odd calls one night in Ernie's Country last time (the time of the picture in question). I would be hard pressed to try to describe them in words.

I've only heard mountain lion recordings, and it didn't sound anything like them, but who knows..

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[Bob]

Thanks so much for all of the replies!



I have never heard coyotes in the Maze, though I definitely heard some very odd calls one night in Ernie's Country last time (the time of the picture in question). I would be hard pressed to try to describe them in words.

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Skinwalkers............