About the Eastern Cougar
The eastern cougar was a subspecies of the North American cougar. It was declared extinct by the USFWS (United States Fish and Wildlife Service) in 2011. It has also since been removed from the endangered species list. It seems that the last sighting of the eastern cougar occurred in Maine in 1938.
Historically, according to the USFWS on their website:
"The eastern cougar range extended from Maine south to Georgia, west into eastern Missouri and eastern Illinois, and north to Michigan and Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, Canada".
Continued SightingsAfter the eastern cougar's apparent extinction, sightings of it have still continued. This is similar to the thylacine (as well as other species), which have also had continued sightings pointing to the possibility of them still existing. However, these reports have not been confirmed either. The sightings of supposed eastern cougars have also not been confirmed to be of the eastern cougar subspecies. Therefore, their current conservation status remains as "extinct".
Thus, it is still unknown whether or not the eastern cougar still exists, though for now it is considered extinct.