|
Getting
To Know Your Local Continent...
Cats
In The Wilderness
You can call them cats. You can call them mountain lions.
You can call them cougars, panthers, pumas, or catamounts (cat
of the mountains)... just don't call them Pantheras.
All of these names apply to mountain lions which are of the
genus Felis which means they are purring
cats. Pantheras are large roaring cats which in
North America only include the jaguar. The six other cat species found in North America are all Felis, and
include the mountain lion, margay, ocelot, jaguarundi, bobcat,
and lynx.
Purring
cats...
So, mountain lions don't roar, they purr continuously or make
shrill, higher pitched sounds. When you hear that sound close
by in the night, it can startle the sleep right out of you.
Mountain lions are solitary and secretive. They usually live in inaccessible
rocky terrain or dense cover. Their fur camouflages them and
makes them difficult to see.
Usually mountain
lions shun people, however, there have been some reports of attacks
on joggers and hikers. When kids and parents are hiking in mountain
lion country, it would be a good idea if the parent would have
pepper spray along. Relying on stealth
to catch prey, the mountain lions stalk, then spring upon any prey
they can overpower -- mammals, birds, fish, even reptiles.
|
|
Wolf,
grizzly steal food...
Biologist, James Jonkel, who has been studying cats for many years,
especially in the North Fork area near Glacier National Park, says
that after a mountain lion kills an animal, wolves or grizzlies
often take it away from her. They tree the cat and eat the cat's
meal right in front of her. This has caused the mountain lions more
than inconvenience... they sometimes starve.
However, there still are many cats in western Montana. They are very
territorial, and fighting with other mountain lions causes the
biggest loss of life among these beautiful cats, according to Jonkel.
Adult
males weigh 148 to 227 pounds and measure 5.6 to 9 feet from nose to
tail tip. A pair will remain together for about two weeks, then
part. The male plays no further role in the family.
One
to six spotted kittens are born after 90 days. The mother feeds them
and teaches them all they need to know for when they are on their
own, at about 18-22 months of age.
Johnny
Weston gives a program in Wisconsin showing students
how
to enjoy, protect, and make a
difference to wildlife
and
habitat. |