Try to spot the mountain lion in this unnerving wildlife-cam picture
The Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge found more than an elk in a photo snapped in the wilderness.
If you're one of those people who lost your mind trying to find the cat on the bookshelf in a viral photo earlier this year, then you're going to love looking for a much bigger cat in a picture captured at the Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
The US Fish & Wildlife Service highlighted the perplexing image in a Medium post on Wednesday. The photo shows an elk in an arroyo surrounded by trees and rock formations. The elk is easy to spot. The mountain lion (or puma or cougar), not so much.
A wildlife camera snapped the image in late 2019 and the refuge shared it on Facebook this month, challenging followers to find the hidden mountain lion.
Refuge volunteer Dale Erz originally found the camouflaged cat after noticing the predator in a later photo. He went back to check the earlier snap and discovered the sneaky kitty.
This image from later in the sequence gives you a better look at the mountain lion.
The refuge shared the entire photo series with the elk moving away and the mountain lion coming out of hiding. Elk are on the menu for mountain lions, but the trail cam didn't show the ultimate outcome of this event.
Did you find the mountain lion? Need a hint? Here's the refuge's guidance: "Start looking at the base of the tree that is at the far right of the picture. Move a little left and down. The puma is hidden in the grass." Still searching? Scroll down for the solution in the cropped photo below.
Once you spot the mountain lion, the idyllic scene of an elk in the wild transforms into a tense moment between a predator and its unsuspecting prey.
If you've given up on finding the mountain lion, here's the solution.
