Mountain Lion

A mountain lion walking away from an elk carcass in the woods.

NPS

 

 

The mountain lion, also known as cougar, panther, puma, or catamount, is the one of the largest cats in North America and a top predator native to Valles Caldera. As part of predator-removal campaigns in the early 1900s, mountain lions, coyotes, and wolves were killed throughout the lower 48 states, including national parks. Although mountain lions were largely eliminated, the species survived in the West because of its cryptic nature and preference for rocky, rugged territory where the cats are difficult to track.

 

Scientific Name

Mountain lion, Puma concolor

Population at Valles Caldera

Estimated 3–4 adults (~1 lion/100 km); others in park seasonally.

Where to See

Seldom seen

Behavior and Size

• Litters range from three–four kittens; 50% survive first year.
• Adult males weigh 145–170 pounds; females weigh 85–120 pounds; length, including tail, 6.5–7.5 feet.
• Average life span: males, 8–10 years; females, 12–14 years. Mountain lions living in areas where they are hunted have much shorter average life spans.
• Preferred terrain: rocky breaks and forested areas that provide cover for hunting prey and for escape from competitors such as bears.
• Prey primarily on elk and mule deer, plus smaller mammals.
• Bears frequently displace mountain lions from their kills.
• Male mountain lions may kill other male mountain lions within their territory.

Interaction with Humans

It is extremely rare to encounter a mountain lion at Valles Caldera. If a big cat is close by, stay in a group; carry small children; make noise. Do not run, do not bend down to pick up sticks. Act dominant—stare in the cat’s eyes and show your teeth while making noise.

 

Population

Based on long-term monitoring of large mammals across the Jemez Mountains, biologists estimate a local population density of 1 adult mountain lion per 100 square kilometers. Within Valles Caldera National Preserve, the population estimate is approximately 3 to 4 adult mountain lions, with others moving through the park seasonally.

While disease and starvation are occasional causes of mountain lion deaths, competition with other mountain lions or predators, and human hunting (during legal seasons outside protected areas), are the main causes of mountain lion mortality. Habitat fragmentation and loss are the main long-term threats to mountain lion populations across the western United States.

 

A mountain lion and three spotted cubs, all wearing tracking collars, in a den.

NPS

Behavior

Although mountain lions live throughout the park, few people ever see them. They follow their main prey as they move to higher elevations in summer and lower elevations in the winter.

Adult male lions are territorial and may kill other adult males in their home range. Male territories may overlap with several females. In non-hunted populations, such as in Valles Caldera, the resident adult males living in an area the longest are the dominant males. These males sire most of the litters within a population; males not established in the same area have little opportunity for breeding.

Mountain lions may breed and have kittens at any time of year. Males and females without kittens search for one another by moving throughout their home ranges and communicating through visual and scent markers called scrapes. A female’s scrape conveys her reproductive status. A male’s scrape advertises his presence to females and warns other males that an area is occupied. After breeding, the males leave the female.

In the Jemez Mountains, most kittens are born in the summer months. Female mountain lions den in a secure area with ample rock and/or vegetative cover. Kittens are about one pound at birth and gain about one pound per week for the first 8–10 weeks. During this time, they remain at the den while the mother makes short hunting trips and then returns to nurse her kittens. When the kittens are 8– 10 weeks old, the female begins to hunt over a larger area. After making a kill, she moves the kittens to the kill. Before hunting again, she stashes the kittens. Kittens are rarely involved in killing until after their first year.

Most kittens leave their area of birth at 14 to 18 months of age. Approximately 99% of young males disperse 50 to 400 miles; about 70–80% of young females disperse 20 to 150 miles. The remaining proportion of males and females establish living areas near where they were born. Therefore, most resident adult males in Valles Caldera are likely immigrants from other areas, thus maintaining genetic variability across a wide geographic area.

At Valles Caldera, mountain lions prey upon elk (mostly calves) and deer. They stalk the animal then attack, aiming for the animal’s back and killing it with a bite to the base of the skull or the throat area. The lion eats until full, then caches the carcass for later meals. Lions spend an average of 3–4 days consuming an elk or deer and 4–5 days hunting for the next meal.

Mountain lions are solitary hunters who face competition for their kills from other large mammals. Even though a cached carcass is harder to detect, scavengers and competitors such as bears and coyotes sometimes find it. At Valles Caldera, black bears are known to take over a mountain lion's kill. Coyotes will try, but can be killed by the lion instead.

 

Duration:

2 minutes, 31 seconds

Elusive and stealthy, mountain lions are skilled hunters that play a crucial role in the Valles Caldera ecosystem. Learn more in this Caldera Chat with Ranger Topher.

Learn more

 

Wildlife Safety

 

Research

Since 2013, the Large Mammal Monitoring Project has provided new insights on mountain lions, black bears, elk, and mule deer across the Jemez Mountains, demonstrating how these animals' populations and behaviors are impacted by changes in the ecosystem.

This research also identifies each animal's habitat preferences. For example, results have shown that mountain lions generally avoid denning on north facing slopes and that birth den sites are often selected for high levels of concealment and difficult access. The continued monitoring and analysis of these data will help inform future decisions regarding forest management, wildfire mitigation, and habitat restoration at Valles Caldera National Preserve and beyond.

 

 

Resources

Anton, C.B. 2020. The demography and comparative ethology of top predators in a multi-carnivore system. PhD. Santa Cruz, CA: University of California, Santa Cruz.

Biek, R., N. Akamine, M.K. Schwartz, T.K. Ruth, K.M. Murphy, and M. Poss. 2006. Genetic consequences of sex-biased dispersal in a solitary carnivore: Yellowstone cougars. Biology Letters 2(2):312–315.

Hornocker, H.G. and S. Negri. 2009. Cougars: Ecology and Conservation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

National Park Service. 2014. Yellowstone Cougar Project Annual Report. Yellowstone Center for Resources. Mammoth: Wyoming.

Murphy, K.M. 1998. The ecology of the cougar (Puma concolor) in the northern Yellowstone ecosystem: Interactions with prey, bears, and humans. PhD. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho.

Murphy, K.M., G.S. Felzien, M.G. Hornocker, and T.K. Ruth. 1998. Encounter competition between bears and cougars: Some ecological implications. Ursus 10:55–60.

Murphy, K.M., I. Ross, and M.G. Hornocker. 1999. The ecology of anthropogenic influences on cougars. In T. Clark, S. Minta, P. Kareiva and P. Curlee, ed., Carnivores in Ecosystems. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Ruth, T.K. 2004. “Ghost of the Rockies”: The Yellowstone cougar project. Yellowstone Science 12(1): 13–24.

Ruth, T.K., D.W. Smith, M.A. Haroldson, P.C. Buotte, C.C. Schwartz, H.B. Quigley, S. Cherry, K.M. Murphy, D. Tyers, and K. Frey. 2003. Large-carnivore response to recreational big-game hunting along the Yellowstone National Park and Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness boundary. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31(4):1150–1161.

Ruth, T. K., Mark H. Haroldson, P. C. Buotte, K. M. Murphy, H. B. Quigley, and M. G. Hornocker.2011. Cougar survival and source-sink structure on Greater Yellowstone’s Northern Range. Journal of Wildlife Management 75(6):1381–1398.

Ruth, T. K., P. C. Buotte, and H. B. Quigley. 2010. Comparing VHF ground-telemetry and GPS cluster methods to determine cougar kill rates. Journal of Wildlife Management 74(5):1122–1133.

Ruth, T. K., P. C. Buotte, and M. G. Hornocker. 2019. Yellowstone Cougars: Ecology Before and During Wolf Restoration. University Press of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.

Sawaya, M., T. K. Ruth, S. Creel, J. J. Rotella, H. B. Quigley, S. T. Kalinowski. 2011. Evaluation of noninvasive genetic sampling methods for cougars using a radio-collared population in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Wildlife Management 75(3):612–622.