Mountain Lions are the most successful and widespread apex predators in the Americas. They live from the Canadian Yukon in the north to Chilean and Argentine Patagonia in the south.
They are smaller in size only to the Jaguar in the Americas and the African Lion and Tiger from Africa and Asia. Interestingly, despite their large size, they are not taxonomically classified as a big cat because they lack the ability to roar.
What Do Mountain Lions Look Like?
Mountain lions are big, predatory cats. It follows that they are feline in appearance. These animals, in general, have lean, sinewy bodies, somewhat round heads, and upright ears. Mountain Lions have a light brown coat of short, coarse hair over most of their body. They have black on the tip of their tail, their ears, and the area around their nose. Their belly, the area above their upper lip, below their lower lip, and their chin are all white. They also have a sprinkling of black hair on their backs. Incidentally, their coat color varies somewhat with geographic location.
Male and female mountain lions seem identical, but males are 30 to 40% bigger than females. Though sizes vary considerably throughout the cat’s geographic range, an adult male typically weighs between 110 and 180 pounds, while females or queens average between 80 and 130 pounds. Only a few surpass 200 pounds. Adult males or toms will reach a length of 6 to 8 feet from snout to tail tip, while females will reach 5 to 7 feet.
One of the American lion’s distinguishing characteristics is its long and hefty tail, which accounts for almost one-third of its entire length.
Mountain lion kittens or cubs (either word is acceptable) have camouflaging patches and rings around their tails that gradually fade away as they mature. They lose all of their camouflage marking by the time they’re six months old.
Cougar vs Mountain Lion
People often ask the question, “Is a cougar a mountain lion?”. The answer to that is yes, cougar and mountain lion are different names for the same animal. Puma and panther are also names that the mountain lion goes by in various locations on the map.
Today mountain lions have the most entries in dictionaries of any animal on the planet. Claude T. Barnes, in his book, The Cougar or mountain lion, compiled a list of 18 indigenous South American, 25 indigenous North American, and 40 indigenous English names for the same animal. The cougar, mountain lion, puma, panther, or any name out there are all popular names for the American lion, depending on the area and local language.
Is The Florida Panther The Same As A Cougar?
The answer to that question is yes. Florida panthers are a sub-species of cougar or mountain lion.
Like most animals in Florida and the southeastern United States, Panthers tend to be a bit smaller than their northern counterparts. The following quote comes from the U.S Fish and Wildlife website. “Mature male panthers examined in the wild in Florida since 1978 have weighed from 102 to 160 pounds and measured nearly seven feet from nose to the tip of the tail. Females were considerably smaller, with a weight range of 50 to 115 pounds and measuring about six feet.” Source
Is A Puma The Same Thing As A Cougar?
Again, the answer is yes. Although the names are interchangeable, Puma and Andean Mountain Lion are generally used to refer to the South American counterpart to North America’s Cougars or Mountain Lions.
Where Are Mountain Lions Found?
Cougars or Mountain Lions range in areas throughout the Americas from the Canadian Yukon in the North to the southern tip of Chile in the south.
In the United States, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming all have Mountain Lion populations.
In Canada, there are roughly 4000 cougars. Around 3500 of those living in British Columbia.
They live where their prey animals are. In Utah, that means that you’ll find Mountain lions in areas where there are ample mule deer. For Argentina, that means that Pumas are more prevalent where there are plenty of guanacos. Along the sea coast of Patagonia, there are Pumas that have adapted to hunting penguins. They’re ambush predators, so they need thick foliage or high points such as a cliff, for example, to attack from above.
In the wild, a mountain lion’s lifetime is estimated to be 10 years. In captivity, lions have been known to live up to twice as long. Only a tiny proportion of mountain lions survive beyond the age of five in regions where they are killed for sport.
Mountain lions live alone except when mating or rearing their young. Adult males have territories that average over 100 square miles and are, in the extreme, over 750 square miles in size. Lions mark their territory by scratching trees and peeing on scratched piles of dried leaves, grass, and pine needles. They are prepared to fight other lions to the death in defense of their territory. Every few weeks, a female with kittens may relocate her den location within her territory to protect her offspring from predators and male lions.
What Do Mountain Lions Sound Like?
Mountain lions may go nearly 20 kilometers each day in search of food. Regrettably, that meal may sometimes be your family pet. Although these animals are usually silent, when they do vocalize, the sounds they make are sometimes mistaken for those of other animals. Their snarls and hisses may give them the appearance of an out-of-control domestic cat. When they are out and about, they can produce sounds similar to a chirp or a human whistling. Numerous individuals have observed that mountain lions make charming chirping noises similar to birds. This is often a mother searching for her children when they are out. You may hear a female’s high-pitched, hair-raising scream during the mating season.
What Do Mountain Lions Eat?
Mountain lions are opportunistic predators that hunt alone from dark to morning, stalking their prey (mainly deer in the U.S and Canada) from behind. A lion kills a deer approximately once a week on average. Additionally, they consume elk, moose, feral horses, coyotes, raccoons, rats, wild pigs, porcupines, skunks, domestic pets, and just about anything else with a pulse. They are the definition of an opportunistic feeder. They may move the meal to a different location and cover it with dry leaves, grass, or pine needles to keep it safe from other animals. A mountain lion may return to the spot many days later to eat.
What is the Maximum Speed at Which a Mountain Lion Can Run?
What is the Maximum Height a Mountain Lion Can Jump?
They have the ability to:
- Take a running bound up to 40 feet.
- Take a flat footed 15 foot leap. Source
Are Mountain Lions Dangerous To Humans?
Most of the time, no. You have a greater chance of drowning in your bathtub, being murdered by a pet dog, or being struck by lightning than you do of being harmed by a mountain lion. If lions had an innate desire to pursue humans, attacks would occur daily. Rather than that, they avoid us the vast majority of the time.
There have been less than 20 human deaths as a consequence of cougar assaults in the last century,
In the unlikely event of an assault, defend yourself. The vast majority of humans are successful in driving mountain lions away.
What Should You Do if You Are Being Pursued By a Mountain Lion?
If you live, work, or play in mountain lion country, use caution. Avoid wandering alone in the hours between dark and morning, when lions are at their most active. Maintain a strong watch on your children and pets. Never attempt to corner or approach a mountain lion (or any wild animal). If you happen to come upon a mountain lion, STOP. REFUSE TO RUN. Never seem frightened or play dead in front of a cat.
Rather than that, maintain eye contact. Take a position of strength. Increase the appearance of your size by opening your coat or lifting your arms. Wave your arms slowly and talk forcefully. If required, throw objects at the lion. Allow space and time for the cat to go on. If all that fails, and the cat comes for you, prepare to fight for your life and know that you are capable of warding off the animal’s attack. Here’s the story of a man who killed an attacking cougar with his bare hands.
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