• About
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Disclaimer
  • Contact
  • Advertise
    • Cat Clout! Top Influencer.
    • Awards
    • Demographics
  • PR Friendly
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

The Tiniest Tiger

  • Home
  • Gracey’s Story
    • Gracey’s Blog
    • The Tiniest Tiger’s Habitat
      • Bad Kitty
      • Lazy Leopard
      • Bossy Backyard Blue Jay
      • Great Horned Owl
    • Gracey’s Place of Refuge
    • Bissell MVP 2010
      • Bissell MVP Pet Photo Winner 2010
  • Big Cat Conservation
    • Tigers
    • African lions
    • Jaguars
    • Leopards
    • Cheetahs
    • Mountain Lions
    • Smaller Big Cats
  • Domestic Cats
    • House Cats
    • Cat Behavior & Health
    • Litter Box Tips
    • The Tiniest Tiger Cats
  • CAT-egories
    • Cat Breeds
    • Names for Cats
    • Feral Cats
    • Product Reviews
      • Cat Toys
      • Cat Towers
      • For Cat Parents
  • Shop Triple T Studios
  • Cat Coloring Pages

Two Mythbusting Facts About Mountain Lions

Mountain Lion

3 May
Teton Cougar Project image

Photo courtesy of Teton Cougar Project

Mountain Lions Captured on Camera Reveal Truths

Long thought to be solitary apex predators only interacting with each other driven by competition, Mark Elbroch, a wildlife biologist with the Panthera Puma Program sheds some light on the secret lives of mountain lions. Elbroch, who has been studying the big cats for fifteen years, has collected 100,000 videos of mountain lions in their natural habitat. With the use of GPS collars and remote camera technology, Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project in Wyoming is revealing fascinating truths about the cats.

In 2008, a female mountain lion was shot and killed leaving her two young kittens to fend for themselves. Another adult female took in the orphans to raise with her own three kittens. A video from 2012 records the second capture of a mountain lion adoption on camera revealing the 2008 adoption was not an isolated incident.

The video shows the adult female with the kittens.

Two Mythbusting Facts We Now Know About Mountain Lions

1) Mountain lions are social animals and rarely hurt each other.

Mountain lions are far more social than previously thought.  The adult females adopting kittens from another female is just one example of the big cats dependence and reliance on each other.  Cameras have allowed researchers to witness social behavior not seen before.

According to Elbroch, ” You’ve got these huge male sons of mothers that have already outgrown their mothers and the mothers are just rolling with them and licking them. They sleep in these huge cuddle puddles, as interns like to call them.”

2) The infamous mountain lion scream is not an angry attack sound.

The scream of the mountain lion is not, as many wildlife biologists previously thought it to be, the sound of an angry male ready to attack, but the sound of a female in heat.

The more we know about mountain lions, the better able we are to make science-based protections that will ensure their future.

Donation Made To Panthera’s Teton Cougar Project in Wyoming

Thanks to your support of Triple T Studios, we were able to donate the money to purchase cameras for the Teton Cougar Project in Wyoming.  We are proud to be conservation advocates supporting Panthera’s scientists, helping to ensure a future for wild cats and their habitats.

The donation was made in memory of Gracey, The Tiniest Tiger.  We can’t thank you enough.

This post originally appeared on The Tiniest Tiger’s Conservation Cub Club and is the sole property of The Tiniest Tiger, LLC.

Previous Post: « Why Burning Ivory is The Right Thing to Do. #WorthMoreAlive
Next Post: Cat Collar Translates Meows Into Words »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Summer says

    May 3, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    This is so cool! LOVE the video. I hope people learn more about mountain lions, and how awesome they are.

  2. Dash Kitten in NZ says

    May 3, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    A great post and a totally thrilling video. We owe a debt of gratitude for this reasearch and the amazing revelations it provides.

  3. databbiesotrouttowne says

    May 3, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    Joanne, what an awesome video and what an awesome donation you made in Gracey’s honor……I know, you know, Gracey thinks so too ???

  4. CD says

    May 3, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Thank you for supporting this project! Of course, I love all cats – big, small and in-between – but mountain lions have a special place in my heart.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to The Tiniest Tiger

Joanne McGonagle Namibia

Hi, I’m Joanne and I love all cats. With a Global Field Master of Zoology degree focused on big cat conservation, I like to learn and talk about big cats too. I share my habitat with Paul and we were adopted by our cats Annie, Eddie and Bob.

The Tiniest Tiger has a fierce following of cat lovers and we’d love it, if you’d join us.

More About Us

Wild Rabbit Coloring Book

Join Team Cat!


Easter Rabbit Coloring Book

Easter Rabbit Coloring Book

Cat Coloring Books

Cats in Libraries Coloring Book

Recent Posts

  • Why Birdsong Makes Us Feel Better
  • Are Orange Cats Stupid?
  • Wild Rabbits: An Overview
  • Happy Cat Crossbody Bag Giveaway
  • Bird Flu in Bobcats
  • Purr Power Cat Hoodie Giveaway
  • Cat Heart Condition: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy News
  • Happy Cat Slip-On Shoes Giveaway
  • Cats and H5N1 Bird Flu: Keeping Your Cat Safe
  • Festive Feline Fun Cat Coloring Book Giveaway

Popular Posts

President Lincoln and His Cats

Is That an Old Lion? | How to Age Lions

The Cat’s Meow. The Evolution of the Manipulative Meow

Mountain Lions Maligned By Misinterpretation of Data

Lion Guardians Give Each Lion a Maasai Name

The Tiniest Tiger content including photos and text is the sole property of The Tiniest Tiger, LLC. The Tiniest Tiger is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

The Tiniest Tiger, LLC | Copyright 2009-2024 | All Rights Reserved