With an estimated population between 4,000 to 6,000 in California, cougars have a secretive nature and attacks are exceedingly rare, given that they share habitat with 39 million Californians. These cats are typically found in mountains, as the name suggests, urban fringes and open spaces from foggy coastal forests to eastern deserts.
What states do cougars live in?
State by State. Today viable, breeding cougar populations are found in just the sixteen states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, and Florida. In most of these states, cougars are the only species of native large carnivore...
Can you hunt cougars in the United States?
Today cougars are classified as a game species and hunted for sport in the thirteen states of: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, and North Dakota. In these states, authority for setting and carrying out hunting programs is held by each state’s wildlife management agency.
How big is a cougar's range?
They are highly territorial— a male cougar may dominate a home range of 50 to 150 square miles (for comparison, the City of Seattle is 92 square miles). Diet: Cougars are carnivores. Their main prey are different species of ungulates, including moose, elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and caribou in North America.
Are cougars scavengers?
The cougar is generally reported to not be a scavenger, but deer carcasses left exposed for study were scavenged by cougars in California, suggesting more opportunistic behavior. A human carcass was also scavenged in California.
What city in California is known for cougars?
Los Angeles is the second largest metropolitan area in the US, but it's retained some of its natural wild side. In the mountains surrounding the metropolis, mountain lions — the last large carnivore in southern California — live, hunt, and try to repopulate.
Are cougars common in California?
California is mountain lion territory — but you may never see one in the wild. With an estimated population between 4,000 to 6,000 in California, cougars have a secretive nature and attacks are exceedingly rare, given that they share habitat with 39 million Californians.
Where are cougars mostly located?
Today viable, breeding cougar populations are found in just the sixteen states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, and Florida.
Where do mountain lions live in CA?
Mountain lions live in many different types of habitat in California, from deserts to humid coast range forest, and from sea level to 10,000-foot elevations. They generally will be most abundant in areas with plentiful deer.
How do you tell if a cougar is in the area?
Some signs of mountain lion presence include large tracks (3-5 inches wide) without claw marks; food caches, where a kill has been partially eaten and then covered with brush and dirt; scrapes in soft dirt or leaf litter, and claw marked trees & logs.
What time of day are cougars most active?
dusk to dawnCougars are most active from dusk to dawn, but it is not unusual for cougars to hunt anytime during the day. Adult cougars typically prey on deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, and wild sheep, with deer being the preferred and most common prey.
What are cougars afraid of?
Cougar Signs Experts such as Debra Chase, CEO of the Mountain Lion Foundation, say that cougars are mostly afraid of humans and don't see us as potential prey. Occasionally, though, humans fool them. Quick movements, such as running or bicycling, which make humans resemble prey, sometimes lead to cougar attacks.
What state has most female cougars?
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles has the highest number of older women contacting younger men online, according to AYI.com. Cougars run this town, making their dens in exclusive clubs like Express and Zinc.
Which US city has the most cougars?
“Top 10 List Of Cougar Towns” listLas Vegas – Nevada.Phoenix – Arizona.Atlanta – Georgia.Jacksonville – Florida.Dallas – Texas.Fort Worth – Texas.Los Angeles – California.El Paso – Texas.More items...•
Do mountain lions go near houses?
These camera traps revealed that deer, raccoons and pets were less likely to be encountered in the wildland areas. Complementing this finding, the collars showed that mountain lions were more successful at finding and killing prey near houses than they were away from these structures.
Are there Black Panthers in California?
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials have never found evidence of a panther in California.
What state has the most mountain lions?
California has one of the largest mountain lion populations in the country. The state classed mountain lions as endangered in 1972 and banned all hunting of them. The 2020 wildfires that ravaged California also affected mountain lion populations, killing an estimated 300 to 600 of them.
What US state has the most cougars?
California has one of the largest mountain lion populations in the country. The state classed mountain lions as endangered in 1972 and banned all hunting of them. The 2020 wildfires that ravaged California also affected mountain lion populations, killing an estimated 300 to 600 of them.
Should you stand your ground against a cougar?
The California Department of Fish and Game says on its Web site, in part: “Do not run from a lion. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal.”
What big cats live in California?
Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are native to California. Description: Cougars are carnivores. They are elusive, secretive animals rarely seen in the wild.
Are cougars aggressive towards humans?
Cougars are dangerous to humans and pose a risk to those living or recreating in rural areas. Cougars are the most elusive and least aggressive of the world's large cats. They are afraid of people and do not recognize or seek us out as prey. They want to avoid you and not be seen.
Where are cougars in California?
In the Santa Monica Mountains near LA , the fragmentation of cougar habitat has gotten so bad, there’s been a spike in cougar-on-cougar violence and inbreeding.
Where is the cougar overcrowding in California?
The consequences of cougar overcrowding in fragmented habitat are painfully clear just 300 miles south of the Santa Cruz population, where biologists struggle to save about 12 mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains above LA.
How to catch a cougar?
To catch a cougar, University of California, Santa Cruz field biologist Paul Houghtaling recommends roadkill. Deer, to be precise, preferably aged for less than a week. Post a motion-activated camera nearby and be patient: Once cougars find the prize, they usually return to feed several nights in a row.
How many square miles do mountain lions need to call their own?
Typical adult male mountain lions need about 100 square miles to call their own. But the highway makes it nearly impossible for cougars in different areas to mingle and for young males to disperse. Fourteen mountain lions have been hit and killed trying to cross Highway 17 since 2007, three of them near Laurel Curve.
What happened to the Florida panther population in the 1970s?
In the Everglades, after the Florida panther population dropped to just 20 animals in the 1970s, the decline in genetic diversity got so bad it was visible. Animals were born with holes in their hearts, undescended testicles, kinked tails and other physical abnormalities.
When did California ban cougar hunting?
In California, a 1972 moratorium on hunting cougars for sport has helped the state’s population rebound, though exact numbers are hard to come by. (Landowners can still obtain permits to kill cougars that prey on farm animals.) But as one threat has diminished, another has worsened: development.
Where are mountain lions found?
Mountain lions once roamed over large parts of North and South America, from the tip of Patagonia to the southern fringes of Alaska — the largest north-south distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Called by many names — puma, panther, cougar, mountain lion, catamount — Puma concolor has earned the enmity of ranchers and farmers, who hunted the cats for centuries. Today, cougars are essentially extinct east of the Mississippi, except for a small, badly inbred population of Florida panthers, a subspecies, in South Florida.
Where do cougars live?
Native to the Americas, its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. It is an adaptable, generalist species, occurring in most American habitat types.
How big are cougars?
They are the fourth largest cat species worldwide; adults stand about 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) tall at the shoulders. Adult males are around 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) long from nose to tail tip, and females average 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in), with overall ranges between 1.50 to 2.75 m (4 ft 11 in to 9 ft 0 in) nose to tail suggested for the species in general. Of this length, the tail typically accounts for 63 to 95 cm (25 to 37 in). Males generally weigh 53 to 100 kg (117 to 220 lb), averaging 68 kg (150 lb). Females typically weigh between 29 and 64 kg (64 and 141 lb), averaging 55 kg (121 lb). Cougar size is smallest close to the equator and larger towards the poles. The largest recorded cougar, shot in 1901, weighed 105.2 kg (232 lb); claims of 125.2 kg (276 lb) and 118 kg (260 lb) have been reported, though they were most likely exaggerated. On average, adult male cougars in British Columbia weigh 56.7 kg (125 lb) and adult females 45.4 kg (100 lb), though several male cougars in British Columbia weighed between 86.4 and 95.5 kg (190 and 211 lb).
How big are cougars compared to jaguars?
Depending on the locality, cougars can be smaller or bigger than jaguars, but are less muscular and not as powerfully built, so their weight is, on average, less. Whereas cougars tend to be larger as distance increases from the equator, which crosses the northern portion of South America, jaguars are simply generally smaller north of the Amazon River in South America and larger south of it. For example, while South American jaguars are comparatively large, and may exceed 90 kg (200 lb), North American jaguars in Mexico's Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve weigh approximately 50 kg (110 lb), about the same as female cougars. The cougar is, on average, larger than all other extant felid species, aside from the lion, tiger, and jaguar. Despite its size, it is not typically classified among the " big cats " because it cannot roar, lacking the specialized larynx and hyoid apparatus of Panthera.
What is the scientific name for a cougar?
Felis concolor was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1771 for a cat with a long tail from Brasilia. The second half of the name, "concolor" is Latin for "of uniform color". It was placed in the genus Puma by William Jardine in 1834. This genus is part of the Felinae. The cougar is most closely related to the jaguarundi and the cheetah.
What is the second largest cat in the world?
Due to its wide range, it has many names, including mountain lion, puma, catamount, panther and painter . The cougar is the second-largest cat in the New World after the jaguar ( Panthera onca ).
Why do cougars attack?
As with many predators, a cougar may attack if cornered, if a fleeing human stimulates their instinct to chase, or if a person " plays dead ". Standing still may cause the cougar to consider a person easy prey. Exaggerating the threat to the animal through intense eye contact, loud shouting, and any other action to appear larger and more menacing, may make the animal retreat. Fighting back with sticks and rocks, or even bare hands, is often effective in persuading an attacking cougar to disengage.
Why are cougars endangered in Florida?
The cougar is threatened by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and depletion of its prey base due to po aching. In Florida, it is threatened by heavy traffic, which causes frequent fatal accidents involving cougars. Highways are a major barrier for dispersal of cougars.
Which state has the most protection for cougars?
Among the western states California has afforded the most protection to the species. In California, cougars are classified as a “specially protected mammal.”. As a result of this classification, sport hunting was prohibited by a public referendum in 1990.
When did cougars disappear?
Yet efforts to exterminate cougars, wolves, and other predators that began with European colonization and continued as late as the 1960s resulted in the virtual elimination of cougars from the eastern two-thirds of the United States.
When did cougars become legal?
All western states with surviving cougar populations (except Texas) established limited protections for the cats by the early 1970s.
Is the Florida cougar endangered?
Florida’s small population of cougars, known as Florida Panthers ( Puma concolor coryii ), is classified as an endangered species under federal and state law and is considered one of the most endangered mammals in the world.
What is ESU in California?
In February 2020, the policy was expanded to the larger proposed evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) contained in the petition to the Fish and Game Commission to list mountain lions under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).
What is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife?
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is tasked with ensuring viable mountain lion ( Puma concolor) populations persist throughout the state where suitable habitat and other environmental conditions allow. Mountain lions occur across much of the state and bring about a wide range of complex conservation and management challenges.
Why are mountain lions not genetically diverse?
Research indicates a lack of genetic diversity in specific areas of California (Ernest et al. 2014) as a result of human population growth and barriers that restrict connectivity with other mountain lion populations. The Department is pursuing many actions toward managing mountain lions, including coordination with federal, state, and non- governmental organization partners on projects to improve habitat connectivity, and to increase public outreach and education.
Where are mountain lions protected?
1812 Ninth Street. Sacramento, CA 95811. Laws and Regulations. The passage of the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Proposition 117) by California voters established that mountain lions are a "specially protected mammal" in California.
Where are mountain lions listed as endangered?
(opens in new tab) was petitioned to list mountain lions as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act ( CESA) within a proposed evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) located in Southern California and the central coast of California. In April 2020, the Commission found that listing ...
Is a mountain lion a mammal?
No. The California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990 (Pro position 117) legally classified mountain lions as a "specially protected mammal". It is unlawful to take, injure, possess, transport, import, or sell any mountain lion or any part or product thereof.
Is a mountain lion protected under CESA?
As a result, mountain lions in this proposed ESU are CESA-protected during the review period. The Department conducts statewide research for the conservation and management of mountain lions in California.
Where are bobcats found?
Bobcats are the only official populous and breeding “big cats” found in the state of Maryland. Like most eastern states, Maryland was once home to the eastern mountain lion but none remain today. There are occasional sightings, and there may possibly be the rare traveler that passes through.
Where do mountain lions live in North Dakota?
While much of North Dakota is open prairie habitat that will not support many mountain lions, they do reside in the more mountainous western parts of the state. As of 2020 the state does not estimate population numbers, but rather looks at overall trends, and feels the population has been fairly stable.
How many mountain lion sightings in Georgia?
Georgia. According to the state wildlife division, there have only been 3 credible mountain lion sightings in the last 25 years. People report sightings in Georgia every year, however the state is not considered to have a population and it is believed most of these sightings are a case of “mistaken identity”.
How many mountain lions are there in Montana?
While the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department hesitates to give solid numbers because they feel methods for tracking the population need to be improved, their estimate in 2019 was about 4,000 – 4,500 mountain lions. Starting in 1879 and lasting many decades, bounties were paid for killing mountain lions in Montana, severely impacting the population. In 1971 they were classified as “game animals”, and hunting could therefore be controlled by the state. This plus increasing numbers of deer and elk allowed the lion population to slowly recover. View Montana’s “Living with Mountain Lions” page here.
Does Iowa have mountain lions?
Like many other states we have mentioned, Iowa does not have a breeding population of mountain lions, but still sightings are made every year. A handful of these have been confirmed over the years, but according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 95% of reported sightings are mistaken identity. The IDNR does admit that because of the confirmed cases, it is possible there are a few “free ranging mountain lions” present in the state. Read Iowa’s mountain lion pamphlet here.
Is there a mountain lion in Arkansas?
While mountain lions were considered rare in Arkansas after 1920, it seems they are making a comeback. With a few confirmed sightings every year, it is thought there may be about 20-30 in the state currently. Arkansas has a huge feral hog population, and this abundant prey item might be one of the reasons mountain lions populations are slowly increasing.
Is there a mountain lion in Ohio?
While there are many unconfirmed sightings of mountain lions in Ohio, there is not believed to be any living in the state . In fact an article I read noted that a confirmed mountain lion sighting hadn’t happened in 100 years. The cat that is growing in population within Ohio is the bobcat, and many official believe most of the sightings called in are actually people mistakenly seeing bobcats.
Overview
Behavior and ecology
Cougars are important keystone species in Western Hemisphere ecosystems, linking numerous different species at many trophic levels. In a comprehensive literature review of more than 160 studies on cougar ecology, ecological interactions with 485 other species in cougar-inhabited ecosystems have been shown to involve different areas of interaction, ranging from the use of other s…
Naming and etymology
The word cougar is borrowed from the Portuguese çuçuarana, via French; it was originally derived from the Tupi language. A current form in Brazil is suçuarana. In the 17th century, Georg Marcgrave named it cuguacu ara. Marcgrave's rendering was reproduced in 1648 by his associate Willem Piso. Cuguacu ara was then adopted by John Ray in 1693. In 1774, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon converted cuguacu ara to cuguar, which was later modified to "cougar" in English.
Taxonomy and evolution
Felis concolor was the scientific name proposed by Carl Linnaeus in 1771 for a cat with a long tail from Brazil. The second half of the name, "concolor" is Latin for "of uniform color". It was placed in the genus Puma by William Jardine in 1834. This genus is part of the Felinae. The cougar is most closely related to the jaguarundi and the cheetah.
Characteristics
The head of the cougar is round and the ears are erect. Its powerful forequarters, neck, and jaw serve to grasp and hold large prey. It has four retractile claws on its hind paws and five on its forepaws, of which one is a dewclaw. The larger front feet and claws are adaptations for clutching prey.
Cougars are slender and agile members of the Felidae. They are the fourth larg…
Distribution and habitat
The cougar has the largest range of any wild land animal in the Americas, spanning 110 degrees of latitude from the Yukon Territory in Canada to the southern Andes in Chile. The species was extirpated from eastern North America, aside from Florida, but they may be recolonizing their former range and isolated populations have been documented east of their contemporary ranges in both …
Conservation
The cougar has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2008 and is also listed on CITES Appendix II. Hunting it is prohibited in California, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, French Guiana, Suriname, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and most of Argentina. Hunting is regulated in Canada, Mexico, Peru and the United States. Establishing wildlife …
Relationships with humans
Due to the expanding human population, cougar ranges increasingly overlap with areas inhabited by humans. Attacks on humans are very rare, as cougar prey recognition is a learned behavior and they do not generally recognize humans as prey. In a 10-year study in New Mexico of wild cougars who were not habituated to humans, the animals did not exhibit threatening behavior to researchers wh…