Lion or bobcat?

[producer]

Reportedly taken yesterday along the Housatonic River in the Berkshires. Definitely not one of those scam photos. Many say it looks like a lion, others say bobcat. What do you guys think?

Its a cropped image, the original wouldn't upload due to its size

Also, photographer said tail seemed to be short when the cat walked away

[Roy Wires]

It appears to have a mottled under side, typical of bobcats but not lions. It's hard to tell from the photo, but if you stretch your imagination, you can detect spots on his back, however the ears lack the markings and points of a bobcat.

[Stillhunter]

Pretty clear it is a bobcat from visible markings.

[producer]

Thanks guys... there was definitely some talk about the ears not appearing to be typical of a bobcat. Also talk of the markings on the underside, but when looking at professional pictures of known lions, the markings appear to be similar to lions. Coat looks tawny, without the more typical spots/marks on a bobcat. Obviously i know there is some variation to both species. To me the most telling part is the eye witness stated the tail was short. Anyways, just wondering what people thought, thanks.

[webby459]

There is something odd about the photo in the area of the ears.

[dpc34]

fake news....wrong head..wrong body.....just saying

[Hard Scrabble]

I thought that i saw Hitler yesterday..

[Bounder45]

It's not a cougar.

It's funny how all these pictures showing supposed cougar always seem to be zoomed in and grainy. I'm sure if the photographer had zoomed out (to allow other objects in the fore and background to be compared to the animal for size and scale) it would've been readily apparent to even the untrained eye.

[webby459]

I'm no expert, but there are all kinds of weird relics on this photo, all over the animal, to make me think it was a photoshop job with low sophistication.

[EagleCrag]

I think it might be a Coycat. :-)

[Justin]

Yet another second-hand game cam photo that's blurry...

[producer]

Originally Posted by Bounder45

It's not a cougar.

It's funny how all these pictures showing supposed cougar always seem to be zoomed in and grainy. I'm sure if the photographer had zoomed out (to allow other objects in the fore and background to be compared to the animal for size and scale) it would've been readily apparent to even the untrained eye.

The original is a much better photo but i was unable to upload it. The only one i could upload was the cropped version, which is much worse. It wasnt the photographer who cropped it, it was someone else.

Here is the facebook post.
https://www.facebook.com/bob.fournie...03154516370433
Like i said, the photographer even said short tail, its a bobcat. I just personally thought it was an i teresting discussion piece because it had aspects that made it look like a cougar. Photo not manipulated, not a conspiracy

[SpencerVT]

I'm no expert, but that's a bobcat in my opinion. If you look at the size of the log compared to the cat, you can see that the cat is relatively small - commensurate with a bobcat not a mountain lion.
Cool photo either way!

[Schultzz]

Hey Eagle Craig, don't you mean "copycat"?

[travelviews]

Wow nice picture. Is that real?

[producer]

Yes its real. I have a few mutual friends with the photographer. And he is adamant, no long tail, its a bobcat. But people around here went nuts about it.
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.s...n_in_stoc.html