Animal Tracks - Mountain Lion (Cougar)

	Mountain lions are also called cougars, panthers, catamounts, or pumas. These big cats have many common names. (In this text, the names are used interchangeably.) They are the largest wild cats in North America. They are found in most of the western U.S. These solitary animals avoid people if they can. Their primary prey is deer, but they do eat beavers, rabbits, porcupines, raccoons, birds, small mammals, foxes, mice, and grass.
The lion is a magnificent animal which was hunted to near extinction and is now making a comeback. There have even been reported mountain lion sightings in the eastern U.S., where they were once thought extinct. A single male lion may require up to 175 square miles of territory for its home range. Several studies in Arizona documented densities of cougars at one cougar per 13 to 22 square miles of territory. These territories included high densities of prey. In areas with lower prey numbers, mountain lions have to range further to find food, so territory size increases. One male had a territory measuring 290 square miles. Females usually have smaller home ranges - between 25 and 50 square miles. This may be because females have to stay close to their kittens and can't range to far when hunting away from the den. Females will have smaller home ranges, and the territories of several females may overlap each other. Mountain lions prefer wild areas frequented by deer. One lion will consume about one deer per week. A lion will cover the remains of its prey and return to the kill repeatedly to feed until the meat begins to turn. One study documented a subadult mountain lion feeding on a single elk carcass for 12 days, never moving more than 120 feet from the carcass during that time. If you find a lion kill, don't hang around the area. The animal may still be nearby, resting until it is hungry again. An adult male can weigh up to 200 pounds, although most are smaller. The home range area required by a mountain lion varies depending on the availability of suitable habitat and the density of prey populations. If there are few areas of cover that allow a puma to stalk its prey, then the habitat is not good. Large open areas are not the best habitats for pumas. They need rock outcrops, brush and trees, breaks in the landscape, and other places that offer concealment. Cougars also require permanent sources of water in their home range. An abundance of deer, the lion's primary prey, is also preferable. Any habitat that supports large numbers of deer might be suitable for pumas as well. When deer are lacking, the cougar will turn to other prey sources, including smaller mammals, and possibly domestic animals. They prefer wild prey, but they will take sheep in areas where these are easily available. Mountain lions have occasionally been known to attack cattle (usually the calves), horses (usually foals), cats and dogs. As humans move further into mountain lion habitat, these sorts of encounters increase. Young mountain lions have spots and a ringed tail, and thus are sometimes mistaken for bobcats. (The bobcat has a short tail, while the lion has a long tail.) A litter of one to six young are born between late winter and mid-summer. The cubs stay with their mother for one or two years. The kittens separate from their mother when they reach the age of 14 to 18 months. Male kittens then disperse to find their own territories. One male was documented to have traveled 300 miles from his mother's home range before establishing a territory of his own. Subadult female cougars will often stay in or near their mother's home range.
Lion tracks show four toes on the front foot and four toes on the hind foot. The retractable claws do not show in the prints. Lion tracks can be over four inches long. Cougar tracks are often confused with the tracks of domestic dogs. Seeing the subtle differences between the tracks of these two species requires some experience. If you have found tracks that you think might be those of a cougar, see the Canine vs. Feline page on this site for help in telling them apart. Mountain lions are good climbers and can leap more than 20 feet up into a tree from a standstill. They can jump to the ground from as high as 60 feet up a tree. A single male lion may travel 25 miles a night when hunting. Lions may be active by day in areas far from humans. They are most active at dawn and dusk, the times when deer are out feeding. The scientific name "concolor" means "of one color" and refers to the cougar's tawny coat.
	A nice clear cougar track in wet sand. This track was found crossing a dirt road near my home. This is the left front foot. Look for the leading toe and the shape of the heel pad.
	Very nice pair of cougar tracks in mud. Mountain lions walk carefully, like all cats. Their hind tracks often overlap the front ones, sometimes covering them up. In this pair, you can see the front track in the lower right. The hind track is the clearest one because it is on top. These are the right tracks. Although these tracks were made in deep, soft mud, there are no claw imprints.

Mountain lion tracks in snow. Great photos.


A left front mountain lion (AKA cougar or puma) track. This was found in an old, dried up muddy area on a trail that is infrequently visited by humans.

This track was made by the same cougar as the one above. This is the left front paw print. The heel shape of this track is very well-defined. Notice the lack of claw marks.


Another track made by the same mountain lion as the two above. This one shows good detail in the heel pad, including the three lobes. Notice the teardrop shaped toe pads too.


The muddy place where the tracks above were found. This is an old abandoned road that runs above a steep-walled creek. The canyon is very remote. In this dried muddy place, I found the tracks of cougar, coyote, opossum, raccoon, bobcat, deer, and more. It was a good find.


This beautiful mountain lion track shows the overall shape very well. Notice that the track is asymmetrical, unlike dog tracks, which are very balanced and symmetrical. This is the right front track.


Another fine example of a mountain lion track in moist sand. This is from the left front paw. Notice the asymmetrical alignment of the front two toes, which is characteristic of feline tracks.


This is a close-up of the heel pad of a mountain lion track. Notice the two lobes on the leading edge (top) and the three lobes on the hind edge (bottom of photo). This shape is characteristic of cat tracks.


The trail of the cougar above in damp sand. This mountain lion walked here in April, and I found tracks in this exact same location a few months later, in July. I think it was the same cougar. They tend to have regular routes that they travel through their home range. The home range can be quite large.


This is the habitat where the tracks above were found. Across the river is state park land. The rest is privately owned. It is not visited often by humans and the animals have the place to themselves most of the time. Until a tracker wanders in, that is!


Below is a lion track I found near Albee Creek Campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park (California) in April, 1998. It was a good print in mud and I made a plaster cast of it.

	On the left is a mountain lion track cast in plaster of Paris. This cast shows all the details of the foot. It was cast from a mold. Casts made in the field are rarely this defined, and usually have soil stuck to them which cannot be removed without destroying details of the cast. This cast represents the right front foot.
This animation shows the outline of the mountain lion track in the photo. You can see that the second toe from the left (the inner toe) is further forward, making this the right foot. Also, the shape of the heel pad will tell you this is the front track. For more on how to do this, see the canine vs. feline page. This track was found in a landfill area in Northern California in September 2007.