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Mountain Lion spotted in Samarkand neighborhood

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Flavia Garza and her husband were stunned Monday morning when they checked footage captured overnight on their Ring Camera.

"Every morning my husband looks at the footage because he's obsessed with it," said Garza with a laugh.

The camera captured what appeared to be a mountain lion.

"Just based upon the video, it may be a like a juvenile. We have a 70 pound dog and it looked about the same size. I would imagine it's not full grown but you know, still good sized!"

Garza said the couple's dog is a Greyhound and "pretty tall."

It was around 4:30 a.m. The device alerted the couple that something "large" had come across their yard on Vernon Road in Samarkand, right across the street from the creek.

"I am surprised! Well, more scared than anything just cuz we have pets. The thought did cross my mind that it could easily hop our fence."

The couple posted the clip on neighbors.ring.com where the animal's size and species became subject of debate. Some wondered it if was a bobcat.

"I've never seen a mountain lion in this area and to me, I've seen bobcats on the trails around here and it does not look like a bobcat," said Garza. "It looks like a mountain lion. It's got that long tail, long torso. Bobcats are much smaller."

Article Topic Follows: Santa Barbara - South County

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Beth Farnsworth

Beth Farnsworth is the evening anchor for KEYT News Channel 3. To learn more about Beth, click here

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