Dallas County had an extremely rare visitor last week. CBS DFW reports a homeowner's security camera captured one of the rarest creatures in Texas, a mountain lion.
It's an animal that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says hasn't had a documented appearance in Dallas County until now.
Video recorded on Sunday shows the animal behind the home of a couple who posted it on YouTube:
Mountain lion in the city, cruising the dalrock area, Rowlett TX (vid 1)
YouTube
by on YouTube
It shows what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed to be a mountain lion wandering past the property from two different angles.
Mountain lion in the city, cruising the dalrock area, Rowlett TX (vid 2)
YouTube
by on YouTube
State wildlife workers later inspected the area and found tracks to back up their initial suspicion that it was indeed a mountain lion.
They analyzed the video and ruled out other possible types of wildlife such as a bobcat because its tail was long enough to drag on the ground.
CBS DFW received a statement from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, which said: "Biologists suspect that this mountain lion is most likely a transient juvenile male that is just passing through as it searches for a home range, a place where it can establish itself. The mountain lion and its tracks were spotted on a private property in Rowlett… Mountain lion's food sources include deer as well as feral hogs and there is not a large deer population in the area where this lion was spotted. So, it could have been searching for feral hogs/a general food source."
Wildlife experts also says mountain lions can travel many miles during a week so they would be surprised if it's seen again.