ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forest, mountains and plains
Organization solitary or den (1–2 adults plus 1–3 cubs)
Treasure none

This quick, elusive, and aggressive hunter is a member of the great cat family. Like others of its kind, it is a carnivore and exists mainly on a diet of meat. The typical mountain lion diet consists of small animals such as mice, squirrels, skunks, shrews, rabbits, porcupines, and gophers. Mountain lions are known to feed on animals larger than themselves such as elk, moose, deer, and even pronghorns. After devouring as much of its kill as it desires, a mountain lion buries it, returning to feed on its prey over a period of 1d10 days. A mountain lion’s hunting grounds often cover an area of up to 800 square miles. Mountain lions are also called cougars, pumas, or panthers.

Mountain lions mate once every other year, usually in the summer months. Typically this is the only time more than one adult mountain lion will be encountered. An average litter consists of 1d3 cubs. A mountain lion’s den is usually found under an overhanging ledge, a crevice in a cliff, a dense thicket, or a cavity under the roots of large trees, or occasionally a dry, rock-strewn cave.

Mountain lions stand about two feet tall and are about four to five feet long with a two to three foot long tail. A typical mountain lion weighs around 125 pounds. It has short, coarse, fur with a white underbelly and a black-tipped tail. Its fur color (except its underbelly) is typically brown, black, rust, or gray. Its eyes are golden. Newborn cubs have spots and blue eyes. The spots rapidly disappear as the cub ages and within nine months the spots are gone. Its eyes change from blue to golden within 12–18 months. The mountain lion has a lifespan of 18 years.

Mountain lions are ambush hunters and stalkers. They wait in dense vegetation or underbrush, or rocky outcroppings for potential prey to wander by. When in range, the mountain lion springs to the attack and bites and rakes its foe. Mountain lions are excellent hunters and often stalk potential prey for several miles before attacking.