Kansas Mammals – Ursidae and Felidae

Ursus americanus - Tahoe Black Bear 3 by RickC

Ursus americanus - Tahoe Black Bear 3 by RickC

Continuing our journey through the Kansas mammals, today I bring you Ursidae (bears) and Felidae (felines, or cats). The black bear doesn’t live in Kansas any more. While it just looks wrong to see a black bear in the street, I’m thinking there is still some habitat he could move back into.

Ursus arctos - Grizzly Bear by Just chaos

Ursus arctos - Grizzly Bear by Just chaos

And the grizzly bear no longer lives in Kansas either. Will he ever come back? I love the sparkle of the water in this photo. Isn’t the bear majestic?

Puma concolor - Cougar Ready to Pounce by Harlequeen

Puma concolor - Cougar Ready to Pounce by Harlequeen

Interestingly, the cougar, mountain lion, or puma is supposedly absent from Kansas. However I’ve spoken with several people who told me they’ve seen one. Charles Lee at K-State is monitoring cougar sightings.

Lynx rufus - Bobcat by SearchNetMedia

Lynx rufus - Bobcat by SearchNetMedia

Now this guy, the bobcat, is known to still live in Kansas. Not that I’ve ever seen one in the wild, though I’d like to. Interestingly the bobcat’s only natural predator is the mountain lion!

Are these animals you have in your state? Have you seen any of them in the wild?

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Related posts:

  1. Kansas Mammals – Canidae
  2. Kansas Signs of Spring
  3. Make Like a Kansas Possum and Prepare for a Prairie Winter

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