The question of whether mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, inhabit Rhode Island has a definitive answer from wildlife authorities. There is no established, breeding population of this large cat species anywhere in the state or in New England generally. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) has not confirmed the presence of a resident mountain lion in over two centuries. This absence is due to historical factors that eliminated the entire population in the region.
Official Status of Mountain Lions in Rhode Island
The historical subspecies that once roamed the area was the Eastern Cougar, which ranged throughout eastern North America. Early European settlers heavily hunted the animal to protect livestock, contributing to its disappearance. The destruction of forests for agriculture and the loss of prey species like deer ensured their extirpation from the New England ecosystem.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) officially declared the Eastern Cougar subspecies (Puma concolor couguar) extinct in 2011, with the official delisting occurring in 2018. The last confirmed historical sighting of the Eastern Cougar was in 1938. The official stance of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management reflects this reality, noting that there has been no confirmed mountain lion in the state for approximately 200 years.
The Phenomenon of Transient Cougars
Despite the lack of an established population, a mountain lion sighting in Rhode Island is possible due to a phenomenon called dispersal. Dispersal is a natural behavior where young male mountain lions leave their natal territory to search for new, unpopulated areas. These individuals are referred to as transients and are not indicative of a resident breeding population.
These dispersing males originate from established populations in the Western United States and the Great Plains, traveling vast distances. The most famous example is the male cougar struck by a car in Connecticut in 2011. DNA analysis traced this animal back over 1,500 miles to the Black Hills of South Dakota, demonstrating the animal’s capacity to cross multiple states. Such non-breeding wanderers are the only way a mountain lion would typically arrive in Rhode Island.
Identifying Local Wildlife
The vast majority of mountain lion reports in Rhode Island are cases of misidentification, where local fauna are mistaken for the large cat. The most common animal confused with a cougar is the bobcat (Lynx rufus), which is a native species established in the state. Bobcats are significantly smaller than mountain lions, typically weighing between 13 and 30 pounds and measuring about three feet in length.
A key physical difference is the tail: a mountain lion possesses a long, thick tail used for balance, while the bobcat has a characteristic short, “bobbed” tail. Another common source of misidentification is the Eastern coyote, which can be mistaken for a large, slender predator from a distance. The lack of a long tail and the presence of upright, pointed ears differentiate these common local species from the mountain lion.