Nope, New Jersey Doesn’t Have Any of These Animals

I have seen many Facebook posts over the years claiming someone saw some apex predator roaming around New Jersey that we don't actually have.

The comments below the alleged photo argue back and forth as to whether or not New Jersey is home to said animal. People will swear up and down that they saw the animal in the past.

I'm sure that the comment section of this article will be filled with the same argument.

Now, let's get a slight disclaimer out of the way.

Could any of these animals be found by chance in the woods in New Jersey? Sure.

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People own illegal animals that escape.

I remember hearing stories about the tiger lady in Jackson. A tiger was tranquilized and sadly killed in 1999. All of the tigers at Six Flags were accounted for and the tiger lady claimed none of hers escaped.

It turned out the tiger was hers...

Unless one of these animals is super lost, escaped from a zoo, or escaped from someone who owns exotic animals, you won't see any of them here.

Water Moccasins/Cottonmouth Snake

Have you seen a snake in the water and slight panic that you might have seen a water moccasin?

You can take a sigh of relief, cottonmouths are not native to New Jersey. On the East Coast, the farthest north that the water moccasin can be found is in central Virginia. These are southern snakes.

Mountain Lion/Puma/Cougar/Catamount/Panther

First of all, can a cougar have anymore regional specific names?

The puma/mountain lion/cougar/catamount/panther used to roam all over the United States, but has since gone extinct in most of the country. New Jersey is one of the states where this big cat has gone extinct.

The cougar can be found west of the Rocky Mountains and in Southern Florida, not New Jersey.

Read More: Another Mountain Lion Witness Comes Forward

Wolves

Sadly, like the mountain lion, wolves once roamed most of the country, but because of over hunting that are now extinct in most states.

New Jersey has coyotes and foxes, but wolves have been long gone in the Garden State.

Jersey Devil

Sorry, I couldn't resist this one...

Unless someone has a pet cougar, wolf, cottonmouth, or Jersey Devil that escapes, you won't see them in the wild in New Jersey.

Here are some other animals you shouldn't, and can't, own as pets in New Jersey.