Big Game: Mountain Lion

Transcript for Mountain Lions

On screen: Mountain Lion created by the Arizona Game and Fish Department

The mountain lion occurs only in the Western Hemisphere and has one of the most extensive ranges of any land mammal, from the Straits 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 extremely arid southwestern portions of the state and those 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. Deer, both whitetail and mule, are the principal mountain lion prey species in Arizona. In some areas, javelina or livestock can be major components of mountain lion diet.

Mountain lions are very specialized predators at the top of the food chain and, consequently, do not normally exist in high concentrations. Mountain lions maintain spatial separation between each other, thereby assuming that each individual has the resources necessary to survive.

Mountain lions kill large prey species with regularity. Usually, one deer-sized animal is killed every 6 to 12 days. Considerable skill executing stalks and, more importantly, consummating the kill is required to avoid debilitating injury.