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This means that they must eat meat to survive, and the vast majority of their diet consists of meat.

Like most cats, cougars are obligate carnivores. Save for Florida, humans have removed them from the vast majority of the eastern United States and Canada. In North America, they are more concentrated to the western states. The northernmost reach of their range is the Canadian Yukon. Their range stretches from Canada all the way to South America. From Canada, populations of mountain lions live all the way to the tip of South America. These widespread cats have one of the largest ranges of any terrestrial animal in North and South America. When given the opportunity, their preferred habitats have rocky outcrops or dense vegetation to ambush prey from. They live in deserts, mountains, lowlands, mangrove forests, deciduous forests, canyons, prairies, and more. You can find these predators in nearly every North American habitat. Part of the reason they have such a wide range is because of their ability to adapt to different habitats. Mountain lions are kings of adaptability. When only the strongest survive to reproduce, the population is healthier. Natural predators, like cougars, are important because they pick off the weak and the sick. However, this is bad for the genetics of the population. When hunting for sport, humans target the largest, strongest, animals.

Artificial Control – Though recreational hunting of deer and other large game helps reduce populations, it is far from a perfect system.

This increases disease, and damages the plant life in an ecosystem. Prey populations, like deer, can quickly escalate when predators die out.

Population Control – Large predators – like cougars, wolves, and bears – are an important part of the ecosystem.

They will capture elk, moose, deer, bighorn sheep, and other large mammals. Generally speaking, the larger the cat, the larger prey they can take on.

Big Prey – These cats use their large size to take down some impressive prey.

Instead of roars, cougars hiss, growl, chirp, purr, and even scream.

Not a “Big Cat” – Despite their large size, scientists do not consider mountain lions “big cats.” Though they are literally a big cat, the term “big cat” usually refers to large, roaring felines.

Though they are powerful predators, they are also an intriguing and important species. Their vast range has made them notoriously feared across various regions. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed that the lion was the one responsible for attacking the child, the statement said.Īnother mountain lion spotted in the area was tranquilized and then released into the wild unharmed after tested to be sure it was not involved in the attack.Mountain lions are some of the most widespread of all large, terrestrial mammals. “Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site,” the wildlife department said in a statement Saturday. Once at the house, the officer discovered a mountain lion crouching in the bushes with its “ears back and hissing” at him, Foy said. The parents immediately drove the boy to the hospital, where law enforcement was notified of the attack and sent a wildlife officer to the scene. “She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son,” he said.

The mother was inside the house when she heard commotion outside. “The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son’s life,” Foy said.

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