Mammals of the Southwest Mountains and Mesas

by George Olin

Description: A huge, tawny cat with long, heavy tail. The long tail is a field mark identifying the young, which, having a spotted coat, otherwise resemble young bobcats to some degree. Total length 72 to 90 inches. Tail 30 to 36 inches. Weight 80 to 200 pounds. Color may vary from tawny gray to brownish red over most of the body, the underparts being lighter. The head and ears appear small in proportion to the lean muscular body. The teeth are large, the canines being especially massive. Like most members of the cat family, the mountain lion has large feet with long, sharp claws. The tracks show the imprint of four toes together with a large pad in the center of the foot. The young may be born at any time of the year. Only one litter is born every 2 to 3 years, and the average number of young is three.

Probably no species of mammal in the New World equals the mountain lion in farflung distribution. From the Yukon to Patagonia, this elusive carnivore can still be found in considerable numbers in spite of aggressive campaigns against it. In the United States, it is the chief representative of the wild cats, a group noted for fierce and predacious habits. Fortunate indeed is the person who sees one of these great felines in the wild. This may not be as difficult as one might imagine because mountain lions often travel through comparatively well settled areas. It is especially possible in the Southwest, for the four-State area covered by this book contains the heaviest population of mountain lions in the United States. However, the comparative abundance of this carnivore has not resulted in a better understanding of it. The mountain lion is still one of the least known and most maligned creatures of our times.

mountain lion

The Mexicans know this cosmopolite as “leon.” In Brazil it is called “onca.” Perhaps the most distinguished name, and rating as the first in New World history, is “puma,” given it by the Incas. Early American settlers of the east coast called it “panther,” “painter,” and “catamount.” In the northwestern United States, it is known as “cougar” and in the Southwest, as mountain lion. Although there is but the one species concolor, there are a number of subspecies. About 15 are now recognized, most of them geographical races and not markedly different from the species. Four of these subspecies are found in the four States with which we are concerned. One of the most interesting is hippolestes which inhabits the State of Colorado. Translated from the Greek this is “horse thief,” an appropriate epithet indeed for this ghostly marauder. As might be expected from their vast distribution, the several subspecies have a tremendous vertical range. In the Southwest they are found from near sea level in southwestern Arizona to the tops of the highest peaks in Colorado.

In the more than four centuries that have elapsed since the white man first set foot on soil of the New World, a great mass of folklore concerning the mountain lion has accumulated. Half fact, half fiction, these tales have been repeated from one generation to another and few details have been lost in the telling; indeed, in most cases, several have been added. Most common are those which describe its fierceness and its attacks on man. In the main, these tales are lurid and convincing, but they do not stand up under scientific scrutiny. It is true that such attacks have occurred; one of the most recent and best verified was that on a 13-year old boy in Okanogan County, Washington, in 1924. It resulted in the death and partial devouring of the unfortunate youngster. Yet sensational as this incident was, it resulted in publicity far out of proportion to its importance. In fact, articles concerning this case are still appearing at intervals. The truth of the matter is that very few authentic cases of mountain lion attacks upon humans have ever occurred in the United States, and that most of these could have been caused by the mountain lion’s being rabid. Certainly such attacks are not typical behavior of the normal animal. As far as man is concerned, the lion will take flight whenever possible, and even when cornered it is not nearly so pugnacious as its little cousin, the bobcat.

Other stories about the mountain lion often emphasize the bloodcurdling screams with which it preludes its stalk of some unfortunate person deep in the forest. The facts are that there is no reason to believe that lions cannot or do not scream, but most authorities agree that such vocal expressions are most likely to be made by an old male courting his lady love or warning away a rival. The cats are creatures of stealth and cunning that creep upon their prey as noiselessly as possible. Lions would hardly announce their presence with the sort of screams with which they are credited. It seems safe to say that at least 90 percent of these alleged screams can be traced to owls or amorous bobcats. Oftentimes these sounds have been linked to large tracks found in the vicinity as proof that a mountain lion was in the area. This has led one author to remark that “the witness usually is unable to distinguish the track of a large dog from that of a mountain lion.” In addition, the infrequent screams made by captive mountain lions indicate that such sounds in Nature would be far from spectacular. They consist of a sound that is more like a whistle than the demoniacal wail so often ascribed to the wild animal.

Many stories are told of a person, usually a pioneer ancestor, who has been followed by a mountain lion. In most cases this person has returned to the area suitably armed and with witnesses who found tracks of the beast together with those of their friend. Strange to say, such incidents are not at all uncommon. They have been recorded and verified a number of times. In these cases the animal often has made no effort at concealment but has followed the person quite openly. Despite this boldness it seems there is no sinister motive, merely a naive and surprising curiosity on the part of the big cat as to what kind of creature man is. It is most unfortunate that so little data have been recorded in these instances, yet this is quite understandable under the circumstances.

Finally, in most stories there is only one size of mountain lion—big! As the story makes its rounds the lion never gets smaller; it invariably grows larger. Somehow the records have missed all these really big lions. Any lion which measures more than 8 feet in length and 200 pounds in weight will be an extremely large, old male in the record class. The average will be much smaller. Statistics show most lions to be 5 to 7 feet in length and 80 to 130 pounds in weight for adult females, and 6 to 8 feet in length with weights of 120 to 200 pounds for adult males. Errors in estimating the size of these big cats are easily accounted for. In the first place the lion is a long, low, sleek creature that gives an impression of being longer than it is. Too, its size is unconsciously exaggerated by many people who are impressed with its tremendous power and agility. Many of its feats of strength seem impossible for an animal so small. Lastly, its tanned hide may be available for measurement. Actually this proves nothing; hides often are stretched 2 feet or more at the time the animal is skinned, and tanning does not shrink them appreciably.