Co-author Clayton Nielsen , assistant professor of forest wildlife in the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, says DNA evidence taken from some of the carcasses further proves the eastward migration by linking the animals to the genetics of existing populations.
Cougars are generalist predators, so LaRue says they can select any habitat with enough prey. They have also been shown to walk hundreds of kilometers in search of new habitat. But cornfields and prairies aren't suitable habitat for the cougars to settle in.
She says they require forest cover, rugged terrain and dispersal corridors typically rivers that allow easy migration for both the cats and their prey. LaRue says this is probably just the beginning of cougars recolonizing the Midwest. A good model is the California Department of Fish and Game's Keep Me Wild campaign , which offers tips on coexisting with cougars and staying safe near them.
They also suggest the more eastern states follow the lead of Nebraska and Missouri and develop conservation strategies for the animals. The Midwest might not be the cougars' final stop in their habitat re-expansion. Last year a male cougar traveled at least 2, kilometers from South Dakota to Connecticut before being killed by an SUV.
In other cougar news, another study published June 13 in Biology Letters tracked animals in Chile that had been mounted with GPS collars and found that their kills or more specifically, their leftovers provided an important food source for a half-dozen different scavenger species. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. John R. Platt is the editor of The Revelator. An award-winning environmental journalist, his work has appeared in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications.
Instead they growl, shriek, hiss and purr, similar to house cats. Mountain lions are territorial and solitary. They use pheromones and physical signs like claw markings or feces to define their territory. A groundbreaking bipartisan bill aims to address the looming wildlife crisis before it's too late, while creating sorely needed jobs.
More than one-third of U. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.
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In 4 seconds , you will be redirected to nwfactionfund. The National Wildlife Federation. Mountain Lion. Mountain Lion Puma concolor Status: Threatened. Classification: Mammal. Description The mountain lion—also known as the cougar, puma, panther, or catamount—is a large cat species native to the Americas. Diet Mountain lions are stealthy predators, hunting at night and often lying in wait for prey or silently stalking it before pouncing from behind and delivering a lethal bite to the spinal cord.
Instead, they avoid us. But if you live, work, or play in cat country, be alert! Avoid walking alone between dusk and dawn when lions are most active. Keep your children and pets close to you. Never approach or corner a mountain lion or any wild animal. If you do encounter a mountain lion, STOP. Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.
Instead: Maintain eye contact. Stand tall. Look bigger by opening your coat or raising your arms. Slowly wave your arms and speak firmly. Throw items at the lion if necessary. Give the cat room and time to move on. In the rare event of an attack, fight back. Most people succeed in driving the mountain lion away. If you live in or around mountain lion habitat, it is wise to bring your animals indoors at night.
Although still a fairly rare occurrence, domestic animals can be an easy meal for mountain lions and other wild predators. Mountain lions hunt primarily at night and unprotected pets, sheep and goats are easy prey. Most pets and livestock do not have the skills to protect themselves and are dependent on people for their safety. The threat to domestic animals from mountain lions can easily be avoided by modifying animal husbandry practices.
The assertion that sport hunting is a necessary and effective strategy for reducing mountain lion attacks on people remains widespread in the mainstream media and in the popular literature.
While some state wildlife agencies, such as in California and Wyoming, state that sport hunting cannot be expected to increase public safety, other state agencies have claimed the opposite, apparently to garner public support for sport hunting.
There are also mountain lions in other parts of the state but the populations are smaller and exact numbers unclear. Only a few confirmed sightings of mountain lions have occurred in Tennessee in recent years. They are considered a transient species in the state, with no breeding population. You can find out more about the confirmed sightings on the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency page here.
Texas definitely has mountain lions, however just how many is unknown. The habitat of the state could support more than 6,, but it is believed the current population is much lower than that. The map below only lists confirmed sightings, ranging from — The largest breeding population can be found in west Texas in the Trans Pecos region, and smaller pockets occur in the South Texas Plains, Balcones Escarpment and the canyonlands of the panhandle.
Utah is home to approximately 2, mountain lions. Hunting is allowed, with the state controlling the number of allowed harvests every year. You can read the states cougar management plan here. Mountain lions are considered to be extirpated from the state of Vermont.
The catamount remains the mascot for the University of Vermont to this day. Occasional sightings persist, but rarely is there confirmation. There is no breeding population of mountain lions in Virginia, with the last wild cougar in the state killed in Washington County in Experts say there is habitat for them in the Appalachians today, and as the western mountain lions continue to slowly roam to the east, they could one day return more permanently to Virginia.
Washington is home to approximately 1, mountain lions. They are distributed throughout the state, except for a pocket around the Columbia river basin where not many reside. As the population of humans in these areas, especially western Washington, increases, encounters may become more common. However cougar attacks remain rare, with only two maulings in the past years. Visit the Washington cougar page here. Just like their neighbor Virginia, there is no breeding population of mountain lions in West Virginia.
There continue to be sightings and it is likely a transient mountain lion roams through on rare occasions. There is no permanent breeding population of mountain lions in Wisconsin, however there are occasional confirmed sighings. In there were three confirmed mountain lions with a few others caught on trail cams. Biologists believe that the mountain lions seen belong to the groups found out in the Black Hill of South Dakota.
It is estimated there are about 2, mountain lions in Wyoming. There is a brewing debate in the state of whether mountain lion hunting should be taken off the table until population numbers increase. Mountain lions were historically found throughout nearly all of North and South America.
Indians and native people of both continents often revered and had much admiration and folklore surrounding the big cats. As the European settlers arrived and populations grew, cougars became a prized animal to hunters, and a hated threat to farmers and ranchers livestock.
Through hunting and habitat loss, mountain lions were completely wiped out of the eastern United States and faced harsh population decline in others by the early s.
Due to changes in laws, protections and conservation efforts, mountain lion populations have rebounded in some western states. Many experts believe with the high deer population cougars favorite prey animal that mountain lions could begin to make a comeback in their historic eastern range, given enough available habitat.
Mountain lions are very adaptable to different types of environments, which is why they are so widespread across North and South America. They can live in any type of forest, as well as canyonland, lowland and mountainous deserts, dense brush and even open spaces with little cover. This makes how much suitable land is available for them to roam one of the biggest limiting factors in their population. Because cougars are so adaptable to different types of habitat, they have a huge range.
In the United States, they was extirpated from most of the states east of the Mississippi River in the years after European colonization. The U. There is evidence that these western mountain lions are slowly spreading east and may recolonize the middle and eastern states. The favorite meal of mountain lions are deer and elk.
An adult cougar will consume an average of one deer per week. They will also hunt feral hogs, raccoons , rodents, porcupines and even coyotes. When they take prey that is too large to eat in one sitting, they will often drag it off to a protected spot and cover it in pine needles, grass or dry leaves to keep it hidden from other predators or scavengers that might want to steal their meal.
This behavior may also slow down spoilage of the meat. They can then come back several times during the week to feed on the carcass. Mountain lions are the fourth largest cat species in the world, behind the lion, tiger and jaguar.
Length nose to tail tip : Males 7. Height at the shoulder : inches Weight: Males pounds, Females pounds.
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