Species Presentation Puma concolor

Matt Bickel

Mike Bryant

John Costa

Introduction

• Biology

• Ecology

• Management

Biology

• Nomenclature

• Distribution

• Morphology

Nomenclature

• Common Names– Mountain lion, leon, cougar, panther, puma,

catamount, painter, and several native names

• Scientific Name– Puma concolor

• Subspecies– There are 30 recognized (debated)

Subspecies

Distribution

Morphology

• Weight– Males 80-91kg (175-200 lbs) – Females 34-80kg (75-175 lbs)

• Length– Males 2.4 m (8 ft)– Females 2.0 m (6.5 ft)

Morphology

• Digitigrade– Five in forepaw and four in hindpaw– Terminal retractable claw– 1st digit reduced in size and set higher

• Short and stocky limbs (comparatively)

• Hind limbs longer than forelimbs

Track next to ’82 Dodge pickup key

                                           

  

Pelage

• Uniformly colored– “Tawny”

– Ventral side is lighter in color “buff”

– Tail tipped in black

Pelage

• Kittens– Dark spots on body

– Black rings on tail

– Fades with age (lyr)

Skull and Dentation

• Diphyodont w/ vertical tooth replacement• Adult dental formula is 3/3 1/1 3/2 1/1 =30

A & P• Vision

– Stereoscopic w/ associated depth perception• Large area of overlap in field of vision

– Large pupils, large lenses, increased retinal curvature

• Hyoid apparatus• Clavicle• Mammae• Acetyl group on hemoglobin

Reproduction

• Estrous cycle

• Gestation

• Litter size

• Altricial young

Ecology

• Habitat

• Diet

• Behavior

Habitat

• Adaptable to many habitats including;– Woody swamps– Forests– Chaparral– Deserts– Brush lands

Habitat

• Five criteria for puma habitat– Native vegetation, woody cover, prey, low

development density, and connection to large tracts of habitat

• Ambush predators that rely on dense cover for successful hunting

Habitat

• When traveling long distances, puma prefer;– Ridge tops– Canyon bottoms– Dirt roads– Hiking trails

• These area offer increased rate of travel, however they can increase human interaction.

Diet

• Major and minor prey species vary depending on location and season

• 40 species are commonly preyed upon in Western Hemisphere (Generalist Predator)

Diet

• Sources of data for puma diet analysis– Puma kill sites– Stomach and intestine content studies– Poop

• Conclusion– Puma are generalist predators– Deer, elk, wild pigs, sheep are “main” prey

species

Diet

• Discriminate selection of prey– Bull elk and buck deer in winter– Age bias bigger factor than physical condition– Probability of success; 82%

Diet

• Evidence of cannibalism• Diet studies also showed some

scavenging

Behavior

• Hunting– Ambush from dense cover– Jumps on prey’s back, bites

neck or skull– Drags prey away from kill site– Will cache a kill – Disemboweled large prey

Behavior

• Mating– Polygamous– Puma will mate w/ same individual several

times– No set mating season– Mating pair together for 2-5 days

Behavior

• Social– Solitary, w/ exception of mating season and

females w/ kittens.– Employ mutual avoidance strategy w/ other

puma– Puma will kill other predators over prey

competition

Management

• Management concerns

• Past Management

• Present Management

Management concerns

• Habitat loss

• Biological significance

• Safety/Control

• Economics

• Ethical

Loss of Habitat

• Increased urban development– Vacation homes, ski areas etc…

• Agricultural development– Ranching– Farming

Biological Significance

• Biological diversity• Key predator species• Must maintain genetic

variety w/ in species

Human Safety/Control

• Human deaths and attacks

• Misrepresentation of Puma– Pink panther, disneyesque,

big kitty

• Human/Puma interactions– Shared habitat

Economics

• Sport hunting• Depredation

– Wild ungulates

– Domestic livestock

• Poaching– Trade in wildlife parts

• Property damage– Cars, pets etc…

Ethical Issues

• Anti-hunting– Aesthetic value

– They were here first

– Endangered

– Misinformed

• Cultural values– Native American

– Dominionistic attitude

Past Management….Then

• “The only good predator is a dead predator.”

• Bounties

• Extirpation from most of original NA range

• Not valued, seen only as a liability to agriculture and big game

Present Management Strategies

• Legal issues• Hunting• Protection

• Programs and Practices• Monitoring• Education

Legal Issues

• California Prop. 117 (Habitat Conservation Fund), 1990– Gives $30 million per year

– Proposed designation will provide an additional $750,000 per year for research and management (no sport hunting)

• Lawsuit filed against Wildlife services– States that the agency is violating the Wilderness Act, National

Environmental Policy Act by killing puma through its Animal Damage Control Program.

• No present mgt plan in WY, despite a 1996 draft.

Sport Hunting

• Sport hunting in 13 states and provinces– Only SD, CA, and FL have no hunting seasons

• Hunting packages = big money– Bryce Canyon, UT. $3000 per person

– Bitterfoot Mountain Outfitters, ID• $2500 + License and lion tag = $3000

• Problems with sport hunting– Only females w/ cubs @ side are protected

– Use of dogs is very controversial

Protection

• Habitat– Protected areas allow subpopulations to evolve w/o human

related mortality, increasing genetic diversity

– Florida, recent habitat acquisitions:• Everglades Nat’l Park = 107,600 acres

• Florida Panther Nat’l Wildlife Refuge = 23,300 acres

• Big Cypress Nat’l Preserve = 141,000 acres

– The USFWS has designated critical habitat for only 9% of all Federally listed species.

Protection

• Population protection and Classification– Threatened in SD

– “Specially Protected Mammal”• Very rare designation, even for endangered species

• About 5100 animals

– Florida panther is a Federally Endangered Subspecies• Only about 60-70 animals

Programs and Practices

• Road Safety Implements– Since 1972, 44 Florida panthers wave been killed by vehicles.

• Wildlife Crossings and fencing installed on more than 40 miles of roadways.

• No panthers have been killed where these devices were installed.

– “Riparian Corridors” in S. California crucial in safe movement.

• Breeding Programs– 8 female Texas cougars released in Fl. To introduce new genetic

material.• 3 still alive, 1 recently had two kittens.

– Florida Panther Interagency Committee • Removed 6 female cubs from the wild to start a captive breeding program for

reintroduction.

Programs and Practices

• Translocations– Good alternative to destroying nuisance animals.– Problems associated with translocations:

• Little is known about success rates.• Where do you send them?

• Monitoring – Essential for determining management success.– Problems with present monitoring strategies:

• Based on Harvest Statistics, therefore can be biased due to male-preferred hunting practices.

• The accuracy of aging techniques is uncertain.

Education

• Management plans need to incorporate both public opinions and wildlife managers.– People need a background knowledge to achieve unbiased plans.

• Educating land and livestock owners important in reducing depredation and nuisance puma destruction.

• Programs like Idaho State University “Interactive Research Program” allow general public to get hands-on experience.

• Encounter information distributed at Nat’l Parks.

Conclusion

• Puma concolor was the most widely ranging terrestrial mammal in the western hemisphere, before European settlement

• The keys to future management of this species, its subspecies and populations include;– Public education

– Habitat preservation

– Tolerance