Physically speaking, they are unparalleled. They can live in deserts, forests, mountains and everywhere in between. The success of mountain lions is made possible by their versatility and adaptability. They have lived in North America for at least 200,000 years, persisting long after Saber-toothed Tigers and Wooly Mammoths went extinct. In other words, we need large carnivores like mountain lions around.īeyond their value to ecosystems and people, mountain lions are an impressive animal in their own right and certainly worthy of our respect and admiration. We all rely on healthy and vibrant wildlands for clean water, and many people rely directly on these places for food and fiber. These benefits not only support wildlife and biodiversity, but people too. With mountain lions around, deer and elk spend less time lingering in open areas such as along streams, which protects waterways from overgrazing and degradation. Mountain lions also prey on older, sicker and weaker individuals in deer and elk herds which can improve the overall population health for these species.
Mountain lions leave behind large portions of their kills which provides food for countless other species and helps cycle nutrients back into the soil. Large carnivores have an outsized role in their ecosystems, and mountain lions are no exception to this rule. Why should we coexist with mountain lions? Coexistence also means being tolerant when incidents do occur, and learning from these rare events so that we can reduce the chances of them happening again. Mountain lions pose little to no threat to humans, as well as our pets and other domestic animals, when we take simple but important steps to ensure mutual safety. Fortunately, there are things that we can do to coexist with mountain lions.Ĭoexistence means accepting responsibility for our actions when we live in or spend time in mountain lion country. a moment: how many people recreate in mountain lion country every day without conflict? Incidents are few and far between That said, when conflicts do occur, they can have a lasting impact on the individual and are often sensationalized by the media.
They are, by nature, elusive and seek to avoid conflicts whenever possible. Mountain lions are often perceived as an aggressive predator lurking in the shadows, however, this couldn't be further from the truth. Today, mountain lions can be found throughout much of the West in the United States and in a small, isolated area in Florida. Unfortunately, social intolerance of predators lead to heavy persecution which resulted in their extirpation from much of the United States. Before the arrival of European settlers, their range extended to the east coast in North America. Because of their adaptability, they encountered many different peoples throughout the Americas. In fact, they are the widest ranging terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Being highly adaptable, mountain lions can live anywhere from the mountains, to deserts, and even deep within the rainforest. They go by many different names including cougar, puma, catamount, deer tiger, Klandagi, and so on.
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