Puma concolor
Cougar, puma, panther — same cat. Big, round, clawless prints that look like a house cat scaled way up.
3–4 in wide. Four toes, no claw marks. Wider than long, teardrop toes. Three-lobed rear edge on the heel pad. Asymmetrical, like a human hand has a longest finger.
Mountains, canyons, forest, desert scrub. Western North America plus the Florida panther population.
Crepuscular and nocturnal
Deer, elk, small mammals
A mountain lion can jump 18 feet straight up into a tree.
Should I be concerned?
Encounters are rare. Never run. Make yourself large, keep eye contact, pick up small children and back away slowly.