mountain lion

Figure 1: Mountain lion kitten. From my good friends at LAist: Since 2002, biologists having been tracking and studying the movements of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains to better understand how they live surrounded by development. A total of 19 pumas have been tracked during the study, including the three kittens. Currently, nine are being tracked via GPS or VHF, which makes it the largest number of lions being tracked at the same time. The three kittens are exciting for scientists as the unconfirmed father could be P12 (P stands for Puma,…
A stuffed cougar (Puma concolor), photographed in natural history collection at the New Jersey State Museum.
You don't see this every day.
Cougars (Puma concolor), while currently ranging from Canada to the Andes Mountains in South America, still inhabit only part of their former range. Before European colonization, the big cats ranged from coast-to-coast in the U.S., the eastern populations being wiped out with the exception of a small population in Florida. Some have suggested that the cats may eventually make a comeback and reclaim their previous ranges, potential sightings popping up every now and again in Pennsylvania and other states, but by and large if you want to see a cougar and live on the east coast of the U.S. you…