I'm very impressed by your curiosity--seeing what you saw, most people would simply think, "that's gross," end of story. You, however, knew that you were seeing something unusual, and were determined to find out what it was.

Well...it's definitely a bobcat, Lynx rufus. Its spots and long legs give it away. A mountain lion kitten (Puma concolor), another logical guess, would be proportioned and colored very differently. Various species have been pushed into local *neighborhoods in search of water during our ongoing drought. Their encounters with motor vehicles often have unfortunate endings.

* From Noozhawk news: Santa Barbara County is experiencing a rise in wildlife sightings in urban areas, and coyote visits in particular appear to be more prevalent.

In Santa Barbara County, officials are receiving reports of coyotes, bears and rattlesnakes.

"The drought in general is playing a role in a likely increase in wildlife activity in animals that we have not seen before," Daley said."

While I'm sad for this elegant mammal, I'm buoyed by your inquisitiveness. Keep asking questions!

That sure looks like a bobcat to me. You might contact the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History ( SBMNH ) to see if they are interested.

Unfortunately these images look like a small bobcat :( We have a few living around UC Santa Barbara's campus and I have seen them hunting from a fence around the airport as well. It is rarer, but not impossible, to see a mountain lion at these lower elevations and more populated areas.

Mountain lion has a very long tail and a plain coat. Bobcat has a short tail and a spotty coat. Therefore that was a bobcat.

Bobcats have spotted fur like what you have there, while mountain lions do not. I therefore assume that it is indeed a bobcat.

I'm not an expert, but this looks like a bobcat based on (i) tail length from what I can see; (ii) ratio of leg length to body length; (iii) dentition that is visible. The ears are a bit tougher to discern, which could also help identify it, as well as overall size.

You might be interested in an app called iNaturalist that enables you to post photos and have others comment and help identify and discuss interesting things you see in nature.

I'll vote for a bobcat. There was one at Lake Los Carneros some years ago. Also, the link below says that the bobcat has a short tail, and the tail on your 2nd picture is short. Those are some teeth!

What's the difference between a mountain lion and bobcat?

The mountain lion has a long tail (2.5-3 feet), while the bobcat has a short tail (less than 10 inches). ... Mountain lions weigh 90-160 pounds, while bobcats weigh 20-30 pounds. Bobcats tend to be darker brown, with lighter belly fur and spots while mountain lions tend to be more uniform brown, tawny color.

From what I can tell, the tufted ears, short tail, and long and hare-like legs identify this as a bobcat. They're also known as a red lynx. They are generally solitary, secretive creatures, so this is quite rare. Best,