Are Mountain Lions Endangered?

Big cats aren’t just nocturnal predators; they’re an integral part of the habitats they depend on. Mountain lions control the population size of the animals they hunt, which in turn prevents foliage from being overgrazed to feed other prey. So, if the mountain lion was endangered, that would be a huge problem.

It turns out that cougar populations are stable, but their numbers are declining faster than if their habitats were not disturbed by humans. Let’s see if the mountain lion is endangered right now.

Are mountain lions endangered?

The simple answer here is No, Cougars Are Not Endangered. Pumas are listed as “least concern” on the threatened species list. This means they have been assessed and are currently not considered to be at risk of extinction as a whole.

Cougars are solitary animals and require large territories to roam. People have encroached heavily on their territory, though they still have mountains to trek in search of game.

They are most at risk when they are close to people, as they will eventually sneak around and eat livestock. When this happens, a community seeks to stay safe and may hunt cougars. They tend to wander outward freely, so contact with the community can be fatal.

Cougars are more likely to starve when humans also encroach on the habitat of their prey, such as deer. That’s why we should be careful when we choose to expand.

A study of cougars in the Santa Monica area revealed that the leading causes of death for these remarkable animals are vehicle collisions, rat poison and cougars killing their own species.

How Does Light Pollution Affect Cougars?

Another threat to the life of mountain lions is light pollution. Light pollution is when the natural darkness at night is violated by city lights or other artificial light sources.

What’s happening is our lights are making the sky less dark and blocking out the stars. This confuses animals whose natural nocturnal activity cycles are fragmented. Animals like mountain lions rely on the orientation of the stars to know where they are going, and the night to observe and hunt.

Scientist Mark Ditmer conducted a study testing the effects of artificial light on a “wide range of vertebrates” including mountain lions and deer. They learned that light pollution could completely change the way they hunted mule deer, their usual prey in the area.

Artificial light makes deer roam more at night because they can see better, but mountain lions still choose to hunt them in the darkest places. More often, cougars will move closer to lights with more light pollution because the deer are closer. This can lead to dangerous encounters with humans.

Are cougars dangerous?

Cougars are every bit as dangerous as you’d expect from a wild giant. However, we don’t often encounter these animals because they hide away from humans.

Cougars are solitary creatures and are not inherently a threat to humans as long as we stay away from them. If you come across a cougar, you’ll want to stand still and make eye contact. Try to act big and don’t hold back. Also don’t make sudden movements as they may see this as a threat.

Cougars don’t want to be bothered, so if you come across one, they should slip away.

Are mountain lions the same as cougars?

The mountain lion has many names, and the cougar is one of them. The word “cougar” is adapted from a South American word used to refer to the puma in North America.

Mountain lion names include:

• Catamon
• cougar
• Leopard
• Puma

All of these refer to the same type of big cat. The names just vary by region.

Are mountain lions endangered in Florida?

In fact, there is a cougar native to Florida. This mountain lion is known as the Florida Panther. Specifically, Florida panthers are listed as endangered species, Even if the whole cougar isn’t.

Florida’s population continues to grow, limiting the ability of Florida panthers to find enough territory to own and hunt. They live alone and cannot share space with other panthers, so they can fight and kill anyone they come across and starve to death for lack of prey.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission provided 2021 data showing 21 different Florida panthers were killed in vehicle collisions.

So, are mountain lions endangered?

Mountain lions are elusive predators that are difficult to track and study. Their distance from crowds and each other is part of the reason they continue to thrive. Since their main cause of death is human-related, they should roam in areas where we do no harm.

Mountain lions or cougars will not be considered endangered until 2022. Hopefully that will continue to be the case.