Cougars Return to U.S. Heartland

The Midwestern and Southern United States are seeing the first wild cougars – also known as mountain lions – infiltrate the region in a century.

There's growing evidence that these big cats, whose numbers are up since hunting was restricted and forest habitat has returned to former farmland, are not only wandering through some areas, but taking up residence, according to USA Today.

There's a great environmental conspiracy theory about mountain lions. The idea goes that government wildlife officials are reluctant to admit that wild cats are present, because doing so would require the expenditure of money and the enactment of strict development rules to ensure that the endangered species can thrive. Instead, wildlife officials chalk up sightings to mistaken identity, or else illegal pets illegally released.

One way scientists distinguish real sightings from the legion of false starts? Look at road kill data. If a wild population of mountain lions lives in a populated area, they are as likely to end up in the headlights as a line of sight. If there's no road kill, it's unlikely that sightings indicate anything but mistaken identity or a rare released pet.

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