New York ( CNN ) -- He was one cool cat , trekking half way across America before meeting an untimely death by car on a Connecticut parkway . The 1,500-mile feline journey is a `` testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity '' of the species , said Daniel Esty , commissioner of Connecticut 's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection . It was one of the longest known movements ever recorded for a land mammal and nearly double the distance for a mountain lion , the agency said . There had been sightings of the large cat in Greenwich , Connecticut , its presence an anomaly in a state where none has been seen in more than a century . Sadly , it was the cat 's death that helped tie everything together . A 2006 Hyundai Tucson SUV hit and killed the animal in the very early hours of June 11 . Police were informed of a collision between a vehicle and a mountain lion in the northbound lane , near exit 55 , of Wilbur Cross Parkway in Milford . A necropsy and genetic tests revealed the lion 's origins and travels , the Connecticut environmental agency said . The young , lean mountain lion hailed from the Black Hills of South Dakota , making its way east 18 months ago in search of a mate . Normally the majestic male cats do n't wander beyond 100 milles while looking for females . But this one kept going , through Minnesota and Wisconsin , where its sightings were recorded and DNA evidence collected from droppings , blood and hair . In Wisconsin , biologists dubbed the animal the `` St. Croix Mountain Lion , '' after the first county where a sighting was confirmed . The cat was not neutered or declawed , the necropsy showed , meaning that it was probably not a captive animal that escaped or was released . It also had porcupine quills stuck in the tissue under its skin , indicating that it had spent some time in the wild . Analysis of an extracted tooth could help determine a precise age for the cat , believed to have been between 2 and 5 years old . Wildlife experts were still examining the cat , including the contents of its stomach . They could still learn more in the days ahead .
The mountain lion was sighted in several states . Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos:Photos: Mountain lions on the rise Mountain lions on the rise: Tests show that it came all the way from South Dakota . It was the longest journey ever recorded for a mountain lion in America .