Not that fans of the Nittany Lions care, but their mascot animal, the Eastern Cougar, is officially declared extinct. The eastern subspecies has probably been extinct in reality since the 1930's. A formal review conducted by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, a required step before removing it from the endangered species list, determined the cougar no longer exists in its former eastern range. Cougars seen in the wild in the east are cougars of other subspecies, often the South American or the western US subspecies. Settlers considered the painter a menace to livestock and a competitor for wild game. Bounties were set by states and the beautiful predator was hunted, trapped, poisoned and harassed relentlessly into extinction. The last mountain lion on Nittany Mountain, probably died in the 1880's. Much of their habitat has disappeared, and despite the resurgence in populations of wild tail deer, their favorite prey animal, it is unlikely cougars will return to the remnant forests of the eastern United States. The only eastern catamount
(felis concolor cougar) you will ever see are stuffed specimens like the one above
[credit: USFW] Silly college persons in suits do not count.