Re(6): Why do you want to confirm the existence of mountain lions in New England? IP: 184.13.224.56 Posted on December 18, 2013 at 02:53:23 AM by Grasshopper
If the Michigan DNA report you are referring to is this one--
SWANSON, B. J. AND P. J. RUSZ. 2006. Detection and classification of cougars in Michigan using low copy DNA sources. Am. Midl. Nat., 155:363–372.—it has been discredited (See Kurta & Schwartz 2007. Does a Population of Cougars Exist in Michigan? Am. Midl. Nat. 158:467–471.) I don’t know of a study comparing Michigan cougars to Canadian ones. Give me a citation. Of course, recently there have been several confirmations (remote camera and tracks) on the Upper Peninsula.
I was referring to the skull and ulna found near Gate 8 at the Quabbin Reservation in the fall of 2002. It was given to a private individual, and ultimately to the Museum of Comparative Zoology because it is possibly the remains of a listed endangered species, the eastern cougar, and by law, could not be retained by a private individual.
“Well a good number of geneticists feel that they cannot at this point at least with the North American population distinguish individuals.” They can’t distinguish subspecies in North America. In fact, Culver decided all North American cougars belong to one subspecies, Cougar concolor couguar. Geneticists can distinguish individuals and often, populations.
I didn’t know Fifield had casts from Goshen. She moved to California, where I was living when I met her around the year 2000. I think she said something like, “There aren’t any.”