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Facts and Knowledge:
The Known also as the puma. cougar, and panther, the mountain lion is a highly adaptable wildcat. It lives in habitats ranging from snow covered mountains to tropical rain forests. Long and lean, the mountain lion is immensely powerful and capable of killing prey as a bear or bison with a single bite. although it is usually red or brown, its coloration varies. In Patagonia, where mountain lions are particularly, their coats are often red gray or silver gray..
Habitat: Mountain lions are found in habitat as diverse as the cold northern woods of Canada, the rocky, western country of the United States, and the tropical rain forests of Brazil. In Argentina, they live in the pampas, and their range extents to the southern most tip of South America. Instead of occupying a permanent den, mountain lions rest and find shelter in caves, among rocky vegetation. They generally migrate in winter to follow deer and other prey.
BreedingThe territories of male mountain lions am overlap those of females, enabling the males to detect when the females are ready to mate. During a 14 day period of mating, a male and female will break their normally solitary habits to hunt together and sleep next to each other. The female later gives birth to two to six kittens in a carefully hidden den, located between rocks or in a cave. Blind at birth, the kittens have spotted coats until they are six months old. They begin to take meat provided by their their mother at six weeks, while they are still weeks, while they are still suckling. Although they can hunt for them selves after nine months, they usually remain with their mother for two years. The cubs then leave her and may stay together for several months before wandering off to establish territories of their own..
Food & Hunting: Mountain lions are carnivores (meat eaters) and generally hunt at dawn and dusk. Still, they are active by day in areas undisturbed by man. Like other cats, the mountain lion stalks its prey, sprinting after it if it attempts to flee. Then, pouncing on the animal's back with a powerful leap thats knocks it to the ground, the mountain lion kills its prey with a single bite to the nape of the neck.
Mountain lions have large hunting territories, and they eat most kinds of animals. Throughout their range,. however, deer is their principal food. In the absence of deer, they eat anything available, including cattle and other domestic livestock. Mountain lions can run very fast over short distances, but they tired quickly. If an animal survives lions first attack, it generally escapes. Mountain lions rarely share hunting territories and usually avoid each attempt to defend their own territories or take over those of others.
Mountain Lion & Man: The Once common across the western hemisphere, the mountain lion has been eradicated in many areas, and its survival is threatened. In some areas, mountain lions were wiped out in an attempt to protect deer populations. But eliminating a natural predator disrupted the balance of the enviromrent. Consequently, the deer multiplied rapidly, and their habitat was unable to support the large population...
Did you know:
The mountain lion is found over a wider range
than any other animal in the western hemisphere, except for man.
Mountain lions vary greatly in size.
A mountain lion pounces so violently that it
can drag its prey 20 feet along the ground.
Key Facts:Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle,
related Species
Height to shoulder:24 - 28 in
Length: Body and head, 5 to 6 ft
Tail Length: 26 to 30 inches
Weight:80 to 230 lbs.
Breeding:
Sexual Maturity:Males, at least 3 years,
Females, 2 years
Breeding Season:Females usually breed
once every 2 years.
Gestation: 90 - 96 days
No of Young: Litter 2 to 6, usually
3 to 4
Lifestyle:
Habit:Solitary, generally hunt at dawn
and dusk, but active by day in areas undisturbed by man.
Diet: Mainly deer, most wild animals.
Life span:up to 18 years
Related Species:Several subspecies, two
endangered; Felis concolor coryi (florida) and F.c. cougar (northern eastern
North America)
Distribution:Throughout North and South
America from Southern Canada to Patagonia
Conservation:The mountain lion is a protected
species, but most farmers and cattle ranchers object to its presence.
Many animals are shot to safeguard herds, in spite of evidence that mountain
lions rarely attacks domestic stock.
The Mountain Lion's Agility:
The mountain lion is renowned for its remarkable power, stamina, and agility. It can easily cover 23 t in a single bound, and leap of twice this distance has been recorded. Often taking cover in the dense foliage of a tree, a mountain lion can leap up to a height of 18 ft to land in the branches. It may then climb upward, looking for a suitable vantage point. It can drop 65 ft to the ground without injuring itself..
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