Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)

Mountain lions are the apex predator in the black hills. While they absolutely are present at Jewel Cave National Monument, they are virtually never seen.

NPS Photo

 

Young mountain lions, like this yearling, will strike off from their mothers range to establish their own territory. Jewel Cave National Monument may be home to one or two lions depending on the time of year.

NPS Photo

Mountain Lion
Puma concolor

• Mountain lions are known by many names throughout their range. mountain lion, puma, panther, wildcat, catamount, painter, cougar, and many more.
• Mountain lions live in a wide variety of areas, historically ranging from coast to coast and from Northern Canada to South America. Now they’ve been largely extirpated from the eastern half of the continent, but still range from northern Canada to South America and from the Pacific Coast to the Midwest is some places and a remnant population in south Florida.
• Lions are the second biggest cat in the Western hemisphere after the jaguar.

 

A female lion and her cub walk in front of a remote camera. Mountain lions specialize in hunting deer in rocky hills like what are found at Jewel Cave National Monument.

NPS Photo

Size and Description

• Mountain lions have such a wide range that their sizes vary greatly between localities. Weight can range from 75-200 lbs. and length from nose to tail can range from 6’ to 7.5’.
• Their species name “concolor” comes from Latin meaning “together” and “color” in reference to their uniform tawny coloration
• Color starts as a redish brown in summer and fades to a uniform tan as the year progresses.

Behavior

• Males are larger than females and will maintain a larger territory. For males it is common to have a home territory of 100+ miles, while females will maintain a range of 60-80 miles.
• Mountain lions are solitary wandering animals. They are active throughout the year and do not hibernate, nor do they establish permanent dens.
• Males do not tolerate each other encroaching on their territories and females with kittens do not tolerate the presence of adult males.

 

Mountain lion kittens are born with spots and blue eyes, totally dependent on their mothers.

NPS Photo

Diet

• Lions are apex predators. A lot of their movements are decided by accessibility to game to hunt. Lions, like most cats, prefer fresh meat and are not known to scavenge carrion.
• Mule deer and white-tailed deer are important food sources for lions, who will often follow migrations of deer to be able to stay fed throughout the winter.
• Other important prey animals to lions are elk, bighorn sheep, hares, porcupines, and other small mammals.

Interactions with other animals

• Lions are known as ‘ghost cats’ because they are very rarely seen even in areas with very high population density. This applies to other animals as well. If a lion doesn’t want to be seen, it is unlikely to be seen.
• Lions will defend kills from other predators, but rarely will be willing to die over their kills. Lion kills are scavenged and sometimes claimed by coyotes, wolves, and grizzly bears.