PS PS of Portland, ME Looks like it went through a photoshop tweak. report abuse

Rachel of Portland, ME It looks like a mountain lion to me. Here's the picture:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/29/mountain_lion_in_mai.html
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22Buxton of Buxton, ME If you show the picture, maybe we could make up our own minds.report abuse

Tara of Portland, ME Looks like a mountain lion to me.
Even though I lived in prime mountain lion territory for years in Colorado, it is only in Maine that I have ever seen one in the wild. In the winter of 2001, I was driving south between Jackman and Caratunk at night and saw eyes reflected up on my left. There was no one else on the road, so I was able to slow to a crawl. On the hill above me was the very distinctive face and body of a mountain lion. And, yes, I did see the long, fluffy tail curled around its body. Like so many others have been, I was told that there are no breeding populations here and that it must have been a released or escaped pet.
About three and half years ago, I saw another possible sign of a mountain lion. I was hiking down the Bridle path of Mount Kineo with my eighteen month old son and saw the largest cat print I have ever seen. Cat prints are much rounder than canine ones and the claws, being retractable, are not visible. I kept telling myself that it was only a bobcat or lynx track, scooped my toddler up in my arms and walked quickly but not running down the hill while singing at the top of my lungs. When I lived in Colorado, I would often walk singing and carrying a large stick when I was alone in mountain lion habitat. The television news out there recommended such things. I don't know how efficacious that is, but it helps to feel like you are doing something to avoid being prey. When I told the operator of the boat shuttle back to Rockwood, he reacted as if I told him I had seen aliens land on the mountain.
I don't know if there is a breeding population in the state nor how many of these big cats it takes to make up one, but I do know that I saw one, signs of a possible second and that the photo in question does appear to show another. I also am intrigued at the prospect that this large predator may have staged a comeback in a place where humans have been determined to eliminate them and keep them away. report abuse