A California man was left stunned after finding a huge mountain lion in a tree above his home.
The homeowner, identified only as Chris, was caught off guard Monday after hearing a strange noise when he went to check on his dogs outside his Stevenson Ranch home.
“I thought it was a bird and I looked up in the tree and saw a mountain lion,” Chris said KTL.
He looked to the sky and found the large animal, while shocking footage showed the lion looking down at him from above.
‘We’ve had other cats. We’ve had bobcats, we’ve had lots of coyotes here, but never a mountain lion,” he explained.
A homeowner in Stevenson Ranch, California, was shocked to find a huge mountain lion in a tree in his backyard on Monday
The lion, which Chris said weighed about 200 pounds, soon jumped out of the tree and ran away from his property after spotting it.
Chris told the outlet that he plans to be more careful in his yard, but noted that “we’re in their neighborhood.”
People were quick to react on social media to the terrifying discovery as some were equally scared, while others revealed this is a common occurrence in the area.
“I can’t believe he could get up there, wow that would be scary,” one person wrote.
“He probably looked at that guy like he was about to eat a meal,” another commented.
“Glad he saw it before it got out of hand,” wrote another.
Meanwhile, others noted that the man’s property is on the animal’s land.
The man, identified only as Chris, said he initially heard a strange noise outside when he went to check on his dogs
“They built right in front of these animals’ backyards. Expect more of these sightings,” one user said.
Another wrote: ‘But keep building on the hills and drive them out of their natural habitat.’
“Nice mountain lion, we moved into their territory so deal with it,” said another.
Others were baffled that Chris thought the mountain lion was a bird.
“Mountain lion identifies as a bird,” one user wrote.
“I thought it was a bird.” That’s a pretty big bird you saw there mate,” another joked.
Another commenter said, “That mountain lion looked down at him and thought he was a bird.”
According to the US Department of Agriculturemountain lions make up “about half of California.”
The animals, also known as cougar, panther or cougar, are “very powerful” and are known to “normally hunt large animals,” including bison, deer and sheep.
They also eat smaller animals and are known to hunt alone, usually at night.
The species usually roams around hills and mountains.
The agency warned people who come into contact with a mountain lion not to approach it, run away or fight back if attacked by the animal.
All encounters must be reported to the local sheriff or Department of Fish and Game.
Stevenson Ranch is a community in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles, located at the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains.
In May, a woman came face to face with a mountain lion in her backyard in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
Corinna Bubenheim captured video of the creature after spotting it when her German Shepherds started running around her avocado tree.
Bubenheim said KTLA5 that she thought her dogs were “just making a big fuss about a squirrel.”