Mountain lion sightings are rare in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, state wildlife officials say, but the last few weeks seem to challenge that notion. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department confirmed the third mountain lion sighting in North Texas in less than a month — this time in Plano.

Mountain lions are native to Texas, but experts say they are typically found in the Trans-Pecos region and parts of South Texas.

Over the last few weeks, mountain lion sightings in North Texas have been on the rise. A mountain lion was spotted near Lake Dallas on Oct. 27. A few days later, on Nov. 1, another was spotted in Frisco. On Nov. 8, a mountain lion sighting was reported in Plano.

At about 3 a.m. on Nov. 14, a Little Elm resident awoke to their dog barking and a sound described as 'extreme wind.' The resident said that only after approaching the backyard did they realize that the "wind" was a mountain lion "screaming very aggressively."

For the third time in the past few weeks, a rare mountain lion sighting has been reported in North Texas. On Tuesday, city officials in Plano shared security footage of a mountain lion strolling through what appears to be a neighborhood alley around 2:30 a.

Mountain lions are not common in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, said Rachel Richter, an urban wildlife biologist for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The agency started formally tracking mountain lion sightings in the state in the early 1990s, Richter said.

The mountain lion was spotted in the backyard of a house in western Frisco on Nov. 1, Texas Wildlife Department said.

A Frisco man recently installed security cameras to find out what was tearing up his back lawn. Video footage showed a large creature with a long tail.