Talk:Uwharrie National Forest

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"Eastern" mountain lion

I've edited this section, removing the words "supposedly extinct eastern." The source cited makes no mention of the eastern subspecies.

A federal study a few years ago concluded the "eastern mountain lion" is extinct, while also noting many (dozens?) of confirmed sightings of lions in the east.

Confusion here stems from notion of "eastern' SUB SPECIES. The same federal study also noted some indication, via genetic testing apparently, that there is only a single, North American subspecies of lion -- rather than the several that are currently assumed by official literature.

This would make it moot whether the "eastern mountain lion" subspecies is extinct-- a point duly noted by study.

Of course there is no doubt that breeding lion populations previously existed in the east (as subspecies or otherwise) & that wandering individuals are increasingly turning up and may breed and establish resident populations -- whether now or in the future. These individuals are apparently not, however, of the "eastern" variety as currently defined in standard scientific literature.