Son spots "funny looking dog" on the porch

[Liberal_in_LA]

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A Florida family had just sat down to fill their bellies when an unexpected guest came by to eat — an endangered panther.

“We were all having dinner. Myself, my father, mother, my two sons, and my daughter, and one of my sons [Phillip Jr.] yells out, ‘Hey, look at that funny looking dog!’ We all jumped up and the panther was just sitting there right outside the window,” Phil Hendra Sr. told The Daily News.

The Florida man said the panther just hung around for a while before it decided to hit the road.

“It laid down like a regular house cat, got back up, strolled to the side of the deck, looked back at us a few times and walked away. We were not scared at all. The panther looked so calm and comfortable — we were too,” he said.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fla-family-shocked-panther-shows-dinner-article-1.2584165
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are calling on anyone who has had a similar sighting to report it on their website.

The sight won’t be forgotten anytime soon for this family.

“It was just an awesome sight for three generations of the Hendra family to see,” Hendra said.

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. LOL ...

Our bedroom door opens to our patio. One early morning, I saw movement on the patio, and thought, "How the hell did our dogs get out of the house?"

As I became more awake, I realized it wasn't our dogs ... it was a momma mountain lion(?) and her 3 clubs! I spent the next 20 minutes watching that majestic creature own my backyard.

[livetohike]

4. So cool! I'd be too awe struck to pick up a camera.

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. I didn't even think to get my camera ...

our's is one of the few homes without a pool in the backyard ... I suppose she was just passing through.

[petronius]

2. Very cool! I hope, though, that Phil Jr. was told that if he ever sees the

funny looking dog again, he should be sure not to try and pet it...

[liberal_at_heart]

3. beautiful cat.

[livetohike]

5. What a great experience! Great picture too.

[jehop61]

6. We had

His look a like on top of our garbage dumpster a few months ago. Wish we'd had a camera. Beautiful animals.

[madinmaryland]

8. FINALLY!! A Florida Man who doesn't do something stupid!!

Great picture of the panther!

[liberalnarb]

32. Shots fired. Hehe

[keithbvadu2]

46. Left turn, Clyde!

[lastlib]

9. Years ago, I had one of those "funny-looking dogs" in my pasture!

Took video of a mountain lion sitting in my pasture. Showed it to a conservation agent--who promptly told us it was a dog. (Because he was too effin' LAZY! to investigate a mountain lion sighting in a state that has virtually no resident mountain lions) I had a good look at it walking and sitting. It walked like a cat, it sat like a cat, it had a feline snout, a feline tail, feline posture--NO.EFFIN'.WAY it was anything but a large cat!

[Yavin4]

10. Um, they didn't invite the panther to dinner?

That's not very nice.

[shenmue]

36. Nom nom nom

[jmowreader]

37. Panthers invite themselves to dinner.

[senz]

11. Never heard them called panthers, always knew them as cougars or mountain lions.

We humans have spread out into their habitat.

[FailureToCommunicate]

13. New England has (or had) Catamounts

[Warpy]

16. Well, there's nothing even approaching a mountain in Florida, it's totally flat in most parts

and I do believe it's a separate species, although not separated by much.

She does look very comfortable sitting on that porch.

[cannabis_flower]

17. Panther or Mountain lion

Mountain lion, puma, cougar, panther—this cat is known by more names than just about any other mammal! But no matter what you call it, it's still the same cat, Puma concolor, the largest of the small cat species.

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/mountain-lion-puma-cougar

[Adrahil]

31. LOL... yup! All the same animal (more or less), but SO. MANY. NAMES.

The Florida Panther seems to be a subspecies, according your link there. I guess maybe a bit smaller than other cougars?

[senz]

23. Nice etymology: from catamountain, from cat o' mountain, cat of the mountain.

He/she looks a little different in the face and hips, unless that's an outcome of taxidermy.

[druidity33]

48. HAVE. We've seen them here in Western Mass. nt.

[Eugene]

14. According to Wikipedia, this is an endangered subspecies.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_panther

The Florida panther is an endangered subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor) that lives in forests and swamps of southern Florida...

[senz]

20. Thanks. It's interesting that they're known by several names

but panther is indeed the correct term for Florida.

This subspecies of cougar is sometimes referred to as cougar, mountain lion, puma, and catamount; but in the southeastern United States and particularly Florida, it is exclusively known as the panther, with respect to its distinction from different cougar subspecies found in other regions of the United States.

Now I'll have to expand my sleek black panther mental image.

Glad they're hanging on.

[mrmpa]

22. Also known as Catamounts..........

I know two colleges whose moniker is the Catamounts, they are Vermont and Potomac State College. I just know trivia.

[senz]

25. I've always envied people who could remember things like that.

Every skill has its use. (I'm pretty good on platitudes.)

[mrmpa]

30. My nephew went to Potomac State College.......

it's a 2 year school affiliated with West Virginia University. It's a Division I athletic school, and he was on a baseball scholarship. It's located just south of Cumberland, MD, in Keyser, WV. It's on the Potomac River and the school is located on a hill where a fort was during the Civil War, the City was transferred between the Confederates and the Union several times.

That's how I learned that a catamount is a mountain cat. Also Western Carolina University is nicknamed the Catamounts. I always say if you don't learn something new every day, the day has been wasted.

My 86 year old mother lives with me and every night we bond watching Jeopardy. She hates me. There have been two times when the Final Jeopardy category has come, with no clue given yet and I've been correct.

[senz]

44. I was going to suggest Jeopardy

but wasn't sure how it might be received. Of course you could apply to be one of the contestants. Why not? Could be fun. Or maybe you'll solve a case that the police couldn't because they couldn't connect the clues. Or who knows? It's a special ability.

I'm sure I would find your nephew's school charming. I remember visiting Mt. Vernon and looking out over the Potomac. Everything was so beautiful I could hardly believe it. As was everything I saw in Maryland and Virginia.

I envy you the relationship with your mother. It sounds comfortable and soothing.

[mrmpa]

60. On Final Jeopardy tonight.....

I answered Wheat Chex, Mom answered Wheaties. Mom was right.

[senz]

61. lol! Good for her!

She needed that -- after having such a smarty for a kid.

[Rhiannon12866]

52. I knew I'd heard that name before, my brother and several friends went to UVM

But I never knew what it meant before. Thanks for the info and what an awesome big cat!

[1monster]

33. That is a Florida Panther, a species that is close to extinction. The Texas Panther

is a close relative.

This was the second sighting of a Florida Panther in a week. Maybe they are making a comeback?

I've seen one close up, (unfortunately in a cage -- a cat being rehabbed before being released) and they are incredibly beautiful animals.

[OnlinePoker]

53. There's even an NHL team named after them

Appropriately...the Florida Panthers.

[WhiteTara]

12. last week a woman encountered a panther

on a walking/running path. They may not be as endangered as thought.++++

[Yo_Mama]

15. I'd be getting an awful big, awful mean dog pronto.

Or perhaps two.

A predator that large and that comfortable near a human home is dangerous.

[greymouse]

19. They live with alligators strolling through their yards

I don't see why a panther is any different.

People are encroaching on their land, taking their habitat and food. Tough luck, people, if you become a snack in return.

[Yo_Mama]

45. A lot of people feed their cats on the porch - I think it has gotten used to finding

food on the porch. It is odd for a wild animal to come right up to a house like that.

I live in the boonies, and I am used to wild animals in the yard, including alligators. It's not like I am some urban idiot.

It's dangerous, and whenever you have a big predator like that coming up to houses like that you ought to scare them off. A gorgeous, gorgeous animal, but if you care about the animal you have to get it out of people's back yards and off their porches.

[1monster]

34. The cat did them no harm, it just acted like any cat would, wild, feral, or domestic.

Cats are curious, they don't necessarily freak out at the sight of something they haven't seen before, and those people were not threatening it... Had the cat acted aggressively, this would have been another story. But it didn't.

[Flaxbee]

39. Humans are encroaching on crucial habitat...

People need to quit building endless damn "suburbs" with hideous strip malls and crap cardboard tract houses and leave these wild animals their former territory. Get a dog if you want to, but not to scare an animal out of its rightful territory.

Humans probably built / bought near the cat's "home" not the other way around.

[LeftyMom]

51. Uh, they eat deer. Which have antlers and hooves and shit. They'd totally take a big dog in a fight.

I have a huge effing mastiff https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tosa_(dog) and I would DEFINITELY keep him inside if there were a mountain lion sighting near my house.

Anyhow mountain lions are VERY shy around humans, and even in places that are lousy with mountain lions (ie most of California) mountain lion attacks are seriously fucking rare. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion/Attacks

All you have to do is to make noise and they take off, kids around here are taught to put their arms up and get loud if they see one. Attacks are almost always on people who were bent over and distracted (fixing a bike tire in one instance I recall) while alone in seriously rural areas.

All those people need to do is keep their pets and kids under supervision for a few days until that guy's definitely moved on. And in the long run they should consider removing landscaping that attracts deer, because deer are what attracts mountain lions. Speaking of: the presence of mountain lions actually increases human safety because they keep deer populations down, and deer are a leading cause of serious/fatal car accidents.

[senz]

57. Good information, thanks.

I remember reading years ago about a runner, a woman, who was killed by a mountain lion in California. Her wounds indicated an attack from above and behind and the wilderness running trail near her body was adjacent to a higher ledge from which the animal probably leaped.

I've read that in India people who travel by foot through the jungle wear hats with big eyes painted on the back to discourage tigers from attacking them from behind. When faced with a human face, tigers tend to retreat, but the back of a head seems to invite them. I've wondered if hats with eyes on the back might be a good idea for people walking/running in mountain lion country...

[Mosby]

59. they eat anything

http://www.forbes.com/sites/shaenamontanari/2016/03/11/famous-california-mountain-lion-probably-ate-a-koala-at-the-los-angeles-zoo/#bc171937d4f0

[Yo_Mama]

58. But the dog will likely know that the cat is around before you do.

It's a big help. And two big meanies will likely make the cat stay away.

[Fritz Walter]

18. Not to paint a dark cloud within this silver lining

But these endangered cats appear to be losing their instinct to fear or avoid humans, especially since developers have encroached deep into their habitat. As soon as a pet or child is injured by one, all hell will break loose!

[ScreamingMeemie]

41. I always think of Romeo the wolf in Alaska, and it breaks my heart.

[gsb54]

21. Shrinking habitat issue

Beautiful animal.

Thanks for not reporting it.

It is however but one more sign of there not being enough wild spaces for them to live in.

[DemonGoddess]

24. The thing to remember with large predators

is that they are predators. Cats are curious about things, regardless of the size of the animal. When living in California, we had a few encounters with them as well. Each time it was a YOUNG adult. I'd bet that's what happened here. They do learn to become wary, but if they've not encountered many or any humans before, they will, being cats, have a look around. The thing to do is to educate people so as to not encourage close interaction.

[senz]

26. Yes, all cats have some things in common...

[TDale313]

27. "If I fits, I sits!"

Goes for the big kitties too.

[DemonGoddess]

35. that video had me cracking up first time I saw it!

Cats will be cats will be cats.

As I said though, common sense in interactions with wild animals will help keep there from being issues with the animals. When we had our encounters, we observed the cat, the animal satisfied its curiosity, and left. We did not approach it, we did not try to scare it off or in any way do something that might agitate it.

[senz]

40. Yes, for cat lovers, it's delightful to know ... BUT...

as they say, if our pet cats were even half as big as us, we'd be their lunch.

They might miss us afterwards, but they'd get over it.

[TDale313]

28. Beautiful cat. n/t

[senz]

42. The movie The Revenant brought it all home for me.

Bear = death on four paws. If I lived close to true wilderness, I'd see to it that everyone had some kind of training.

Our poor ancestors had to deal with it on a regular basis, if one goes back far enough. Now, the phrase, "the wolf at the door," sounds quaint.

Of course we have other things to be afraid of.

[jwirr]

38. For a wild animal that panther looks very domesticated.

[bigmonkey]

43. The immortal Ogden Nash on the subject.

If called by a panther,
Don't anther

[keithbvadu2]

47. a walk on a nature trail thru the swamp

http://www.tastefullyoffensive.com/2016/03/woman-has-crazy-close-encounter-with.html

a walk on a nature trail thru the swamp

turn up the volume.

would you say it any differently?

the panther was probably thinking the same thing.

[LittleGirl]

50. cool! eom

[geardaddy]

56. Cool!

And scary at the same time!

[Baobab]

49. seeing a big cougar in the wild is an unforgettable experience.

hearing one growl (roar!) is I suspect even more amazing.

Which is what happened to me.

They are very good at staying out of sight.

[snooper2]

54. Here Kitty Kitty Kitty! Want a Kitty

me bad

[kiri]

55. cat family tree

There are 31 species of cats. They share a remarkable number of features in common.