Mountain lion

Many names have been applied to the mountain lion: cougar, panther, painter, puma, catamount. The most commonly used today are cougar and mountain lion.

These are very dangerous animals, and during the past decade they have killed a number hikers.

The mountain lion has the widest distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere, from northern British Columbia to the southern tip of South America. Lions measure anywhere from six to nine feet long from nose to tip of tail, although any cat over seven feet would be considered big.

Average weight falls somewhere between 100 to 150 pounds for toms, and 80 to 100 for females. A flesh eater, the mountain lion prefers the meat of its own kill – horseflesh, venison and beef – rather than carrion.

This great brown and gray cat will lie in wait for hours on cliffs and shelves above the game trails, ready to leap on the unwary deer, elk or calf that passes below.

Its wild, screaming cry often sounds through the forest from the high ledges, as he wonders tirelessly on his night hunt.
Mountain lion