ABSTRACT
Pennsylvania until 1867, although some have recently been reintroduced in a few spots in the East (Matthiessen, 1987)- The settlers occasionally found even more surprising species. The jaguar, considered by most Americans to be a denizen of the jungles of Central and South America, inhabited the southwestem desert and the Mississippi Valley until the nineteenth century; as late as 1 73 7 the jaguar's range extended as far north and east as the mountains of North Carolina (Matthiessen, 1987)- The great mammals once found in abundance along the eastern coast of North America included black bears, grizzly bears, mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, and, in the northern reaches, the important furbearers, including martens, fishers, river otters, and lynxes. The Great Plains contained enormous herds of bison and nearly as many pronghorn antelope. Lesser animals, such as the prairie dog and prairie chicken, also were extremely numerous.
