MOUNTAIN LIONS
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Article From Colorado Division Of Wildlife
Description: The mountain lion is called by
more names than any other Colorado mammal
cougar, puma, panther, catamount or just
plain lion and all connote respect for
such a magnificent hunter. Colorados
largest cat, adult mountain lions are more
than six feet long, with a graceful,
black-tipped tail 32 inches long. They weigh
130 pounds or more. Color is reddish to
buffy, paler below.
Range: Cougars have the largest geographic
range of any American native mammal other
than humans from western Canada to
Argentina. Once they ranged from coast to
coast in the United States, but today
eastern populations are extinct or
endangered; the West is their stronghold.
Habitat: In Colorado they are most abundant
in foothills, canyons or mesa country. They
are more at home in brushy areas and
woodlands than in forests or open prairies.
Diet: Active year round, the lions staple
diet is deer. Adults maintain their
condition by eating a deer a week. Cougars
hunt by stealth, often pouncing on prey from
a tree or rock overhanging a game trail. The
deer is often killed cleanly with a broken
neck. The cat gorges on the carcass until it
can eat no more, covers the remainder with
leaves or conifer needles, then fasts for a
few days, digesting and resting.
Reproduction: Mountain lions may breed at
any time of year, but mating peaks in the
spring. Births are most common in July,
after a gestation period of about 14 weeks.
Two or three spotted, fist-sized (about one
pound) kittens are a typical litter. They
are weaned about six weeks of age, at about
eight times their birth weight.
IF YOU MEET A MOUNTAIN LION
Stay calm if you come upon a lion. Talk
calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly. Stop
or back away slowly. Do not run. Raise you
arms to appear larger. If the lion behaves
aggressively, throw stones, branches, or
whatever you can get your hands on. Without
crouching down or turning your back. Fight
back if a lion attacks you. Lions have been
driven away by prey that fights back.
Human encounters with mountain lions have
increased in recent years, as human
settlement has encroached on lion habitat.
Division of Wildlifes booklet, Living with
Wildlife in Lion Country is a valuable
resource with important safety information.
By David M. Armstrong
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary
Biology.
Environmental Studies Program, And
University Museum of Natural History
University of Colorado-Boulder
ADDITIONAL WILDLIFE INFO
Originally posted by Kris Hazelton on the
Estes Discussion List.
Its time to be informed and reminded that
its spring and the bears and mountain lions
are becoming quite active.
These awesome animals are around the Estes
Valley and surrounding areas and they are
hungry!
By this time (spring), the bears may have
cubs and the mountain lions have kittens and
they are trying to recover from winter
stress.
The Rocky Mountain Cat Conservacy and DOW
Bear Aware educational and response
volunteers are available when there are
sightings, kill sites or animal tracks to
identify.
Proper interaction rules of behavior for
animal encounters are:
Do not approach any animal for any reason.
Photograph from a distance
Bring your pets in at night.
Stay away from kill sites, they are very
dangerous
Trash, dog and cat food bowls, bird
feeders should always be in a secure place
and brought in at night.
You may call DOW Bear Aware volunteers or
Cat Conservacy volunteers for track
identification, to report sightings and kill
sites, and/or for educational assistance.
Information is available on mountain lions
at Rocky Mountain Cat Conservancy website at
http://www.CatConservancy.org or you may
call Jayne Zmijewski at 970-586-9427
DOW Bear Aware Volunteers: Kris & Gary
Hazelton 970-231-2635 or Jim Boyd at
970-586-5700 ext. 6063
In case of potentially dangerous situations,
please call the Estes Park Police Dispatch
number at 586-4000 who can contact a CDOW
Wildlife Manager in the area.
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