Did a teen see a large cat in Myakka City? Or something much less — or more?

The investigation into unconfirmed reports of a large cat or tiger roaming around East Manatee County continued Friday.

An off-duty Manatee County Sheriff’s deputy was contacted Thursday evening by a Myakka City woman, said sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow.

“A teenager told their mother that they saw what they thought were large cats,” off of Crosby Road, Bristow said.

Although deputies and officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission canvassed the area, Bristow said, no large cats or tigers were found. FWC is leading the investigation.

“What the teenager saw is we don’t know,” Bristow said. “She saw animals of some sort.”

There have been no reports of permitted wildcat owners in the area missing any animals, he added.

Big Cat Habitat & Gulf Coast Sanctuary, located on Palmer Road in Sarasota, had checked in with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office to account for all their animals. According to its website, Big Cat Habitat has more than 140 animals, including lions, tigers, ligers and bears.

Florida has two native cat species: Florida panthers and bobcats.

While panthers — also known as mountain lions, cougars and pumas, according to FWC — are more heavily populated in southern counties like Collier, there have been sightings in Sarasota and Manatee counties. They’re tan in color, can get up to 7 or 8 feet including their tails and can weigh up to 160 pounds. FWC reports that there are between 120 and 230 adults left in the wild; so far this year 25 have been killed, most of them by car collisions.

Bobcats are about half the size of panthers, have tufted ears and short tails. These cats are also tan, but have dark brown or black spots.

“My lay knowledge, it could be a Florida panther (or) a bobcat,” said Merrie Lynn Parker, secretary and treasurer of the Manatee Fish and Game Association. She has the pelt of a 5-foot bobcat hanging in her home, hunted by her late husband Chick Parker in the 1960s.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. All animals move around,” she said. “They migrate.”

While there could be more plausible explanations of what the teen saw —maybe they were coyotes — Bristow noted that the claim shouldn’t be entirely dismissed without an investigation.

“You can’t discount it,” he said.

Anyone with information on the incident can contact the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 or FWC by calling 888-404-3922 (FWCC), dialing *FWC or #FWC, or texting Tip@MyFWC.com.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Did a teen see a large cat in Myakka City? Or something much less — or more?."