Are there bobcats in tn

The cats prowl at night and feed on small rodents, but you should also keep an eye on your pets. Skip to content. First Alert Weather. First Alert Weather Maps.

Vols Sports. Making A Difference. Eye on Education. Great Health Divide. Support Local Businesses. Contact Us. Meet the Team. Gray DC Bureau. Investigate TV. The bear should eventually go away. If the bear starts making huffing noises or pawing the ground, slowly back away. You are going to have to fight hard if the bear attacks, using sticks, rocks — whatever is at hand. There is a wild elk population in Tennessee thanks to a reintroduction programme in Elk are related to deer but larger.

The antlers on these animals can be four feet in height alone! On top of your head. Elk can weigh up to lbs but can still reach speeds of 40mph. They are fantastic jumpers too, even being able to jump 8 feet.

They could attack without warning so avoid coming into close contact with these animals. Elk are able to thrive here largely due to the lack of natural predators. In fact, the biggest enemy of this animal in recent years, apart from the human, has been CWD — Chronic Wasting Disease. This disease is nasty, it attacks the brain of the animal. If you want to try and see an elk roaming around the Smoky Mountains you may spot one on elk cam here — a much safer prospect.

Wild boars are a related species of the common pig we all know. They are not a native America animal but were introduced in the early twentieth century. Their bristles are brown, black or ginger. Wild boars are chunky examples of wildlife, with long snouts and can weigh up to two hundred pounds. They are greedy pigs and will eat almost anything, including nuts and berries, insects and small mammals. Wild boars can be very aggressive, not to mention disease-ridden. Female boars are often found with their young, and adolescent male boars will group together.

It tends to only be the mature male that adopts a solitary lifestyle until they get the mating urge. Leaving the child-rearing to the women eh? They are a nocturnal animal, mainly. You may hear them before you see them. If you encounter wild boar, stay calm and unobtrusive in the hope they go away. One of four species of venomous snakes in Tennessee they are also found in Oklahoma , the copperhead has a distinctive copper colour head and a light brown body with darker bands of brown along the length.

These snakes are usually found in forested or woodland areas, perhaps near water, but rarely in unsheltered open areas. They measure between two and three feet in length. During the summer they tend to only be active during the night, but for the rest of the year they are active during the day. If they see you and can reach you they will likely bite you.

The best thing to do is keep out of striking distance. Bites from a copperhead hurt and have these symptoms:. The timber rattlesnake likes a similar habitat to that of the copperhead. Timber rattlesnakes also become nocturnal during the summer heat. They are brown and sometimes yellow in colour with a dark tip on the tail.

They can be longer than a copperhead and the longest ever recorded was just over six feet! Rattlesnakes get their name from the distinctive rattle type sound they make. Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and blow through your tongue so it vibrates. That sound is similar to the sound of a rattlesnake. Snakes like to eat small rodents, birds and will snack on insects too.

A detailed explanation of the confirmation process of the f irst confirmed cougar sighting is available here. Because Tennessee law protects all animals for which no hunting season is proclaimed, the cougar is protected in Tennessee.

It is illegal to kill a cougar in Tennessee except in the case of imminent threat of life and injury. TWRA has never, nor has it any plans to stock or otherwise physically encourage the establishment of a cougar population in Tennessee. This subspecies is likely recolonizing and expanding their range in the Midwest and is likely the subspecies that is the subject of Tennessee cougar sightings.

The Eastern Cougar, once ranging in all of the U. Because the federal Endangered Species Act does not protect extinct species, the Eastern Cougar subspecies was officially removed from the federal endangered species list this year The Florida Panther, residing on the southern tip of Florida, is the only breeding population of cougar east of the Mississippi River.

With a population estimate of individuals, this subspecies is on the federal endangered species list. The occasional dispersing male has made his way to into Georgia and parts of Alabama. Cougars are shy, nocturnal, solitary, secretive animals, with large home ranges.

Because of their behavioral patterns, the likelihood of encountering a cougar is extremely slim, even in areas with established populations. To show how rare a cougar attack is, compare the number of human fatalities resulting from cougar attacks to those resulting from other hazards from animals or nature.

In the years between to , in the U. Also considering there have been no confirmed sightings of a cougar between the years and in Tennessee, the chances of a cougar encounter are even smaller. Never run, but instead make yourself threatening by standing tall, waving your arms, throwing objects, and yelling. If the animal attacks, fight back! Do not play dead. Report the encounter to local authorities and TWRA as soon as possible. Cougar attacks on humans in the United States and Canada.

Wildlife Society Bulletin. Skip to Main Content. Go to TN. Print This Page. Go to Search. Wildlife Mammals Large Mammals Cougars. Cougars, Puma concolor,. Range The cougar occupies the most extensive range of any New World terrestrial mammal, from the Canadian Yukon to the southern tip of South America.