Meet Your Wild Neighbors: The Mountain Lion
THE GOOD NEWS is that mountain lions are extremely elusive, hunt mostly by night, and are much more interested in dining on deer, elk, or porcupine than on you. The other news: They’re out there; thriving, in fact, to the tune of 2,500 or so in Montana alone. Mountain lions are the most widespread large mammal in the Western Hemisphere—ranging from Argentina to northern British Columbia—and along the way have collected a variety of names: cougar, puma, jaguar, and catamount among them.
So what does that mean for people in Big Sky? “Awareness is key,” says Jeff Cadry, environmental manager for Lone Mountain Land Company. "We’ve never had a report of an attack on humans in the Big Sky area. But one of our trail cameras at Moonlight captured a cat with three cubs last summer, so the local population is going strong." That’s a typical size litter for a female mountain lion, most of whom give birth every other year, over an average lifespan of 10 years. The young stay with their mother for about 15 months before they disperse, usually far from their birth range. Adult lions typically range across 100 square miles. Once a range is established—marked by urine, defecation, scraping the ground, or rubbing their scent on objects—mountain lions tend to remain in that territory and defend it when necessary.
“We’ve never had a report of an attack on humans in the Big Sky area. But one of our trail cameras at Moonlight Basin captured a cat with three cubs last summer, so the local population is going strong.” - JEFF CADRY -
Interestingly, mountain lions do not roar, though they growl, shriek, hiss, and purr—not that you’re likely ever to hear such sounds. Mountain lions tend to hear and see you first and go into stealth mode, which can be unsettling.
This means it's wise to announce your presence when out hiking or biking. Cadry, who contributes to wildbigsky.com, has some suggestions. “Hike or bike with others, and make noise to alert wildlife to your presence. Keep pets close to you. Everyone in your party should carry bear spray—it deters anything with eyes and a nose. Keep it accessible and know how to use it.”
You are unlikely to see a mountain lion, but you might come across a lightly covered kill of an elk or deer. If so, don’t bend down to inspect it, but don’t turn your back on it, either. Survey the area for the predator and back away slowly. Mountain lions are protective of their kills and will return to their cache for up to 10 days. It’s wise to assume the cat is in the neighborhood.
Should you encounter a mountain lion, become loud and large. Wave your arms in the air. If you’re cycling, dismount and hold your bike up high. Sustain eye contact. Don’t run—lions, whichmay weigh up to 190 pounds, can sprint as fast as 50 mph and leap 40 feet on the run. The idea is to not resemble prey.
Mountain lions merit both caution and respect for the important role they play in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. “Research has shown how predators drive landscape diversity,” says Ashley Hodge, mountain lion monitoring biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “Lion depredation often occurs on vulnerable prey or more solitary individuals—even lone wolves,” says Hodge. “The remains of lion kills also provide food for scavengers.” A recent research paper in Mammal Review calls the mountain lion’s interplay with its environment, “the most diverse set of biotic relationships documented for any carnivore in the world.”
That mountain lions are such efficient predators inevitably evokes admiration from scientists who study them. Among them is Kyran Kunkel PhD, affiliate professor of wildlife biology at the University of Montana. “Lions are secretive and almost impossible to see. On the rare occasions I see one, I am amazed that they really are among us here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They are living out these powerful lives on their own terms, and that is remarkable.”
To view the article in Big Sky Life click here
