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It would be easier to determine what kind of cat this is if its back end were visible, since mountain lions have distinctive long tails, says a state official.

An anonymous resident sent a photo of the animal to the state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department, and experts there have yet to determine its validity, according to department spokesman Mark Latti.

"The photo is inconclusive, just because of the perspective, and it only shows part of the cat," he said.

Latti said it would be easier to determine the type of cat if the back end were visible in the photo, because long tails are a distinctive feature of mountain lions.

The department receives similar calls sporadically from residents across the state, but biologists have not found evidence that they consider to be conclusive proof of the cats' presence, Latti said.

"There is not a wild population of mountain lions or cougars in the state," he said. "However, there's a very real possibility that someone could have brought it in from another state and released it. Or it could be an escaped domestic one."

If wild mountain lions were in the state, Latti said, there would be more sightings or hard evidence, like road kill.

"While it is a possibility, we just don't have enough evidence to substantiate it," he said.