Mountain Lion: One of the “Big Cats” by Erin

This incredible cat is one of the “big cats” because of its powerful predatory skills. The mountain lion is also called the cougar or catamount. The mountain lion is found throughout North and South America. The mountain lion now is found mostly in the western U.S. instead of all over like it used to be found. They are comfortable in many different habitats. They have the widest geographic range of any cat in the Western Hemisphere. Mountain lions in North America mainly eat deer, but they also will eat smaller animals. They have excellent vision and hearing, but a poor sense of smell. They mainly hunt in the evening and in the early morning. Like a house cat, the mountain lion stalks its prey then-pounce! Their hind legs are so powerful they can jump 40-45 feet! Mountain lions hide their prey under leaves and soil so they can feed on it for several days. Surprisingly, mountain lions don't roar. Females “scream” loudly to attract males though. Generally, there are 2-4 cubs per litter, and they are born in a den. The cubs are born with spots! The spots disappear when they are about nine months old, and their eyes turn from blue to yellow at about 16 months. 18 months at the latest the young mountain lions leave their mom. Mountain lions are powerful predators. They are big and strong. Because of this, they are one of the “big cats.” The mountain lion is an amazing animal because of its adaptations to hunt. I chose this topic because I watched an episode of a TV show that had this adaptable cat in it, and I thought it was cool and I wanted to learn more. This topic connects to our class because earlier in the year we learned about animal adaptations, and the mountain lion has adapted with strong legs to be a formidable predator. Do you think the mountain lion’s poor sense of smell impacts their hunting in a negative/positive way?

Here's a link to a video about mountain lions

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