Cougar tracks?

While deploying the seismic equipment in the beautiful swamps of North Carolina, fellow ENAMers Hannah Marks and I stumbled upon an interesting set of animal tracks. 

Cougar or bear? Whatever it is, there are some long teeth on the other end of those tracks, so better be careful...

A self-proclaimed amateur track specialist, I described the tracks as “ The freshest pair of cougar tracks in North Carolina, and proof the big cats are alive and well in North Carolina!” though his assumption hasn’t been verified by outside professionals.  The eastern cougar, which used to prowl openly as recently as 1930 in North Carolina has now been declared extinct just last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission ^[1], but local reports due come out from time to time stating their survival ^[2]!

           

So the real question is: Are these fresh tracks of the thought to be extinct Eastern Cougar or some other humongous feline?

P.S. A follow up inspection (in the next couple of days) by Hannah and I will help to shed more light on this interesting find!

 

References:

1.     http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3134517/Eastern-cougar-declared-extinct-nearly-80-years-sighting.html

2.     http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Learning/documents/Profiles/Cougar.pdf

(Post by Casey Brokaw)