Mountain Lion

Mountain Lion, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

...not 3 miles from where I sit typing, according to one source. We share our environment with far more than we know. I've seen several bobcats, and knew they'd found the tracks of a very large mountain lion over a decade ago, but this is the first verified animal in Ray County, Missouri--that I know of.

And of course I sketched from a variety of resources; I don't know just where the cougar was found, and I don't have the heart to sketch from a dead mountain lion, they're too glorious alive.

Here's more from the Missouri Department of Conservation:  http://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/ray-county-cattleman-kills-mountain-lion