The mountain
lion occurs only in the western hemisphere
and has one of the most extensive ranges
of any land mammal, from the Straights of
Magellan in South America to the Canadian
Yukon. The major reduction in mountain lion
distribution has come as a result of its
extirpation from areas of historic range
in the eastern United States and Canada.
In Arizona mountain lions are absent only
from the areas heavily impacted
by human development. In general, the distribution
of mountain lions in Arizona corresponds
with the distribution of its major prey species,
deer.
Life History
Mountain lions may breed at any time of the year and consequently litters
may be born in any month. Summer is the peak period of kitten births, with
litter sizes of two, three, or four being the most common. Young remain
with the mother for 15 to 22 months learning the skills necessary for survival.
Juvenile males tend to disperse long distances compared to relatively short
dispersals for juvenile females. Mountain lions are essentially solitary
animals. Adult females may be accompanied by kittens, but are normally
not associated with other adult animals except for mating purposes.
Deer, both whitetail and mule, are the principal mountain lion prey species
in Arizona. In some areas javelina and/or livestock can be major components
of mountain lion diet. Mountain lions will almost always attempt to cover
the uneaten portion of a kill with leaves or other debris. An entire deer
can be consumed in two nights. A conscientious observer is usually able
to detect the presence of mountain lion in an area through the presence
of tracks, scrapes, kills, or other sign. Hunt
History
Lions were classified as a "predatory animal" by the territorial legislature
and were subject to a statewide bounty of $50 dollars in 1919. This status
continued until 1970 when the mountain lion was classified as a big-game
animal and a tag was required to take one, even though ranchers and their
agents could still take a depredating lion. A mandatory checkout procedure
and other reporting requirements were instituted in 1982. Reporting information
indicates that lion harvests have gradually increased over time. Recently,
the annual kill has ranged between 250 and 350 animals, of which approximately
15 percent were taken by predator control agents.
Behavior
Mountain lions are very specialized top predators and consequently do not
normally exist in high concentrations. Mountain lions maintain spatial
separation between each other, thereby assuring that each individual has
the resources necessary to survive. If these separations are not maintained,
mountain lions will kill each other, which is the normal method of population
regulation in undisturbed mountain lion populations. The cryptic system
of boundary marking employed by resident mountain lions serves to provide
for mutual avoidance and survival. Mountain lions kill large prey species
with regularity, usually one deer-sized animal is killed every six to 12
days. Considerable skill executing stalks and more importantly consummating
the kill is required to avoid debilitating injury.
Summary
Breeding
Period: Year
Round
Young
Appear: Year
Round
Average
Number of Young: 2-4
Distribution: Found
statewide
Habitat: Desert
mountains with broken
terrain and steep slopes
Food
Preference: Deer,
Elk, Javelina, and
livestock
Habitat
