Penn State’s longtime mascot is a common mountain lion, the kind that roamed the mountains near the school’s State College campus until the late 19th century. One of the Nittany Lions’ historic rivals, the Pitt Panthers, has a similar taxonomic nickname for a similar reason.

Known by many names across country, a mountain lion is the same animal as a puma, cougar, panther, or catamount, depending on where you are. The fierce cat is so popular that doze