Unit 1 [PDF] - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Mountain Lion
Puma concolor; Order Carnivora; Family Felidae
Description:
Mountain lion are solitary, nocturnal carnivores found mainly in the western
United States. They measure 6-8 feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail,
and have a tawny-colored body with a lighter underbelly, a long, black-tipped
tail, and black-tipped ears. Male lions usually weigh 120-180 pounds, and
females weigh 80-110 pounds. Mountain lion kittens have dark facial markings
and are heavily spotted. Spots fade as the animals age.
Biology:
Mountain lion feed mainly on deer and elk, but smaller prey, like porcupines
and rabbits, can be important to young lions developing hunting skills and to
nourish adults between kills of larger prey. Lions are ambush hunters. Lions
attacks with a rush of speed and kills with a powerful bite below the base of the
skull, breaking the neck of its victim or a bite to the throat causing suffocation.
Lions often drag their kill to a concealed place to feed, and bury their kills with
dirt, leaves, or snow between feedings.
Individual lions have territories varying in size from 50 to more than 300
square miles. Females with young kittens use the smallest areas, and adult
males use the largest. Adult male mountain lion actively defend their territories
from other male lions. Males mark territory boundaries with piles of dirt
and twigs, called scrapes, signaling to other lions that the area is occupied.
Breeding takes place throughout the year. Females typically have litters of 2-4
kittens about every other year and raise the kittens without the help of the male.
Young disperse when they are 13-18 months old. Females typically remain near
where they were born, but males sometimes wander hundreds of miles before
establishing their own territories.
Habitat:
Throughout the western United States, mountain lion habitat is characterized
by vast areas of rugged country with dense vegetation. Lions need vegetative
cover and topography (rock outcrops, boulder piles, steep slopes) to
successfully stalk and ambush their prey, and provide security while feeding,
resting and caring for young.
In 2008, Wisconsin DNR biologists confirmed the first cougar in Wisconsin
since 1910, near the town of Milton, WI. Since that sighting, several cougars
have been confirmed in the state. Genetic material collected (hair, blood, urine)
suggests these animals are dispersing from established populations in the Black
Hills of South Dakota. Cougar sightings will likely continue if western habitats
remain saturated.
Chapter 4 - Wisconsin’s Furbearer Resource
Mountain Lion.
Mountain lion tracks.
Front-3.5 inches width
3 inches length
Rear-3 inches width
3 inches length
Wisconsin Trapper Education Manual 47