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Frequently Asked Questions Updated FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS MOUNTAIN LIONS - PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, ADAPTATIONS & HABITS What is the difference between a mountain lion, a cougar and a puma? There are many common names given to these charismatic predators and mountain lion, cougar and puma are all correct for the species. The scientific name for this beautiful cat is Puma concolor (meaning: lion of one color). In South America, where they occur as far south as southern Chile, they are mostly known as puma. What are the characteristics of mountain lions? Mountain lions are North America’s big cat. They are solitary predators, mainly active at twilight and night (crepuscular and nocturnal). They have a tawny brown coat, with short course hair, light undersides, and an extremely long, black-tipped tail, about 2/3 their body length. Mountain lions have a relatively thin neck, small head with rounded ears, and a wide face with a distinctive short white muzzle ringed with darker fur. They have a fairly stocky build, with slightly longer back legs and big paws with sharp, retractable claws. They are the top predators in their ecosystems but are generally timid in their interaction with humans avoiding contact where possible. Mountain lions tend to run away or climb trees to escape danger. They do not roar like other large cats, rather making a variety of sounds more closely resembling domestic cats, but just louder. What are the differences between male and female mountain lions? Mountain lion male and females look the same, however, male’s testicles can be visible at the base of the tail. Females are smaller than males, but it is easy to get them confused with males if no comparison is present. What do mountain lion kittens look like? Mountain lion kittens are born with bright blue eyes, dark spots on their bodies and dark stripes on their tails. They weigh about 18oz (500g) when born. By nine months the spots fade leaving a lightly mottled look. By the time they become adults between two and two and half years they loose these markings completely. How big are mountain lions? Mountain lions stand roughly 20 to 30 inches (50 - 76cm) at the shoulder, about the same height as a German shepherd dog. Adult males are typically 6 - 8 feet (183 - 243cm) from nose to tail tip, weighing on average 110 – 180 pounds (50-81 kg); adult females: 5 – 7 feet (152 - 213cm) from nose to tail tip, and 80 – 130 pounds (36 - 59kg). Where do mountain lions sleep? Contrary to popular belief, mountain lions do not have a ‘cave’ or ‘den’ that they live in, but sleep anywhere suitably sheltered as they patrol their territory looking for food, mates or keeping other mountain lions out. The only time that mountain lions are in one place for more than a couple of days is if they are feeding on a large kill they made, if it is a denning female with young kittens or if they are injured. 1 What special adaptations do mountain lions have? Vision – mountain lions have excellent eyesight, and have large eyes adapted to capture as much light as possible making their night vision very good, one of the reasons they are predominantly nocturnal predators. For comparative purposes, walking on a dark night for mountain lions would be similar to a twilight stroll for us. Hearing – they have acute hearing able to accurately detect high frequency sounds, often helping them locate prey. Jumping – long back legs, stocky build and long tail are all adaptations that allow mountain lions to jump high and far – as high as 18 feet (5.5m) and as far as 45 feet (14m). Climbing and balance – their build and tail give them grace and dexterity for climbing trees and moving along steep, narrow ridges. Hunting – large paws and sharp claws are adaptations for catching prey and powerful jaws, short muzzle and long, sharp canines are perfect instruments for making kills. It is interesting to note that cats evolved short muzzles, which gave them increased biting power but diminished sense of smell, whereas dogs, with their long muzzles, evolved to prioritize their sense of smell. How can I recognize signs of mountain lion such as tracks, scat, scrapes, kills and calls? Tracks - The first thing to check is if the track is a cat track – cats have retractable claws so claw markings would usually not be visible. They have four toes that show in a track and a back pad with three distinct lobes. The negative space between the toes and the main pad is in the shape of a ‘C’. If it is a cat track, check the size, preferably on firm substrate (in soft sand tracks look much bigger). Anything around the size of a house cat track is either just that, or a bobcat. Mountain lion tracks are generally 3 to 4 inches (7.5 – 10cm) long. The front track is larger and rounder than the hind track. Male tracks are larger than female tracks. If you don’t have a ruler on hand, photograph the track with something that comes in a standard length for comparison next to it, like a dollar bill. Scats - Mountain lions are pure carnivores eating meat and a lot of the bone of their prey. Hair is also ingested as they lick the dead animal’s hair to remove it as much as possible before eating. Their scats, like other cats, are either long tubes or segmented with blunt ends or just one pointy end and often an inner twist that is only visible in older degraded scat. They are ¾ - 1⅝ inches (1.9 – 4.1cm) in diameter. Mountain lion scats will change color with age. If significant bone content is present, the scat will turn a whitish color after a few days depending on the weather (rain, temperature may affect this rate). Scrapes- Just like house cats, mountain lions make scrapes to mark their territory. They scrape back a pile of debris and then urinate or defecate on top of the pile. Their scrapes are generally 20 – 36 inches (50 – 91cm) long and 8 – 12 inches (20 – 30cm) wide. Kills - Mountain lions usually drag their kills to a hidden place and cache them, covering them with leaves between eating. This keeps them hidden from other predators scavenging for food and also helps to keep them fresh. Kills can be fed on for many days. 2 Calls - Mountain lions make a wide variety of sounds, including chirping, meowing very similar to a house cat but louder, and screaming (in the case of females in estrus). Often people hear birds or other creatures of the night and think that they are hearing mountain lions. As it is hard to put sounds into words, have a listen online. Tell me more about a mountain lion’s life cycle? Females are able to reproduce from about 2 years old. When a female is on heat she ‘screams’ for prolonged periods and leaves her scent by marking to draw the attention of the male. When they meet up they spend a few days together, courting and mating, after which the male plays no further active role in the life of the female or kittens. Kittens are born after about 3 months, usually in the spring or summer, but potentially at any time of the year. Typically, 2 or 3 kittens are born and weigh about 1 pound (450g) and are about 1 foot (30cm) long. The mother chooses a sheltered den site, and for the first two weeks the kittens eyes are still closed and they can only manage to suckle. Once their blue eyes open they begin to move around more, exploring first their den site and later the surrounding area. From about 6 weeks the mother takes her kittens to kills. They are weaned at about 2 – 3 months after which they rely on meat that their mother catches, often left at kills the mother has made. They learn their hunting skills from playing and watching their mother hunt. They stay with her until they are about 12-18 months old, then they must fend for themselves. This is particularly difficult and dangerous for sub-adult males, who must constantly watch out for dominant males until they are mature enough to fend or fight for their own territory, usually from about 2 - 3 years old. Almost all sub-adult males disperse from the mother, moving up to several hundred miles away from their birthplace. Female sub-adults generally disperse less and often will end up neighboring their mother who may ‘give’ her daughter part of her territory. How long do mountain lions live for? In the wild they probably live up to 13 years, though 10yrs is more likely average. Causes of death in the wild include starvation, disease, competition with other mountain lions, and being killed by humans. Are mountain lions related to African lions? No, other than that they are both big cats. The closest relative of mountain lions is actually the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. CONSERVATION STATUS AND POPULATION INFORMATION How many mountain lions are there in our mountains/Sonoma-Napa? We don't know! Establishing the population size and density of mountain lions in this region is one of our key research questions. These large, solitary carnivores, occur at low densities and have large home ranges, where the defend their territories against others of the same-sex. Each male has two or three females within his range. Each female in turn has its own territory and they can exhibit little overlap with each other (each guy has a few ‘wives’, each with their own home).
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