What do mountain lions eat

They may be preyed on by other mountain lions, wolves, or bear when they are young or ill. Mountain lions are important as top predators in the ecosystems in which they live. They are instrumental in controlling populations of large ungulates. Although mountain lions are secretive and generally avoid humans, they sometimes attack humans. Attacks are usually on small adults and children traveling alone during dawn, dusk, or at night.

It is thought that mountain lions mistake these humans for their ungulate prey. Mountain lions are also considered threats to domestic stock. These threats are sometimes exaggerated. It is helpful to learn more about mountain lion behavior in order to avoid encounters. Mountain lions have considerable trophy value and are hunted for sport.

They are also captured to be put in zoos. Mountain lions are important to humans in their role as top predators, helping to control populations of deer and their relatives. Some populations of mountain lions are considered extinct, including the populations of the midwest and eastern United States. Florida panthers and the mountain lions of Costa Rica, Panama, and Nicaragua are considered endangered. Most populations in western North America are stable, except in areas where human populations are rapidly growing.

Baker, R. Michigan Mammals. Michigan State University Press, Michigan, pg Currier, M. Mammalian Species. The American society of Mammalogists, Michigan, pg Nowak, R. Walker's Mammals of the World. The Johns Hopkins. Kurta, A. Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. Animal Diversity Web Cybertracker Tools. All rights reserved. Skip directly to main content.

Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species. Critter Catalog. Information Pictures Classification. Other Physical Features endothermic homoiothermic bilateral symmetry Sexual Dimorphism male larger Range mass 29 to kg Biogeographic Regions nearctic native neotropical native What kind of habitat do they need? These animals are found in the following types of habitat temperate tropical terrestrial Terrestrial Biomes desert or dune savanna or grassland chaparral forest rainforest scrub forest mountains Other Habitat Features suburban agricultural riparian How do they reproduce?

Mating System polygynous Mating occurs throughout the year, but is concentrated from December to March in northern parts of their range. Individual female mountain lions usually give birth every two years. Breeding season Mating throughout the year, in northern parts of their range mating is more concentrated from December to March. These felines are comfortable in many different habitats and, aside from humans, have the widest geographic range of any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.

In North America, mountain lions eat mainly deer, but they also eat smaller animals, such as mice and rabbits. These cats have a poor sense of smell, but have excellent vision and hearing that help them hunt in the early morning and evening hours. Their powerful hind legs enable them to jump as far as 40 to 45 feet 12 to 13 meters. This carnivore stalks its prey until an opportunity arises to pounce. Females have an average of two to four cubs per litter and give birth in a den.

The cubs are born with spots, which usually disappear by the time they are roughly nine months old. Their eyes also change from blue to yellow by the time they reach 16 months old. By 18 months, the young cats leave their mom to go fend for themselves. Take the big cat quiz to see how much you know about these fierce felines. All rights reserved. Like all cats, mountain lions are strict carnivores, and they only rarely consume vegetation. Mountain lions can breed year-round.

Female mountain lions usually give birth every two years. Litters can range in size from one to six cubs. The young may stay with their mother for as long as 26 months, but usually separate after about 15 months.

In the wild, a mountain lion can live up to 10 years. In captivity, they can live up to 21 years. The historic range of the mountain lion included almost all of North and South America.

The species was so wide-reaching and populous that it had multiple subspecies that varied based on location. Throughout the s and early s, people feared the mountain lion because it posed a risk to their livestock. The species was maliciously hunted and almost eradicated from the eastern United States.

Due to conservation efforts, mountain lion populations in the western United States are stable, although far lower than they were historically.

While there are still several thousand mountain lions in the wild, their population has significantly decreased from their historical population due to unsustainable hunting, habitat destruction , and conflicts with livestock.

Mountain lions are an "umbrella species" for conservation because their conservation depends on the preservation of large amounts of habitat.

A mountain lion usually requires about 13 times as much area as a black bear or 40 times as much area as a bobcat to thrive.

By preserving enough wilderness to support a stable mountain lion population, countless other species of plants and animals that share mountain lion habitat benefit. The eastern cougar, a subspecies of mountain lion, was declared officially extinct by the U. Florida panthers , the other U. There are less than Florida panthers left in the wild. Learn more about our work through our Save LA Cougars campaign.