#mountainlion — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #mountainlion, aggregated by home.social.
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Mountain Lions Have Major Ecological Impact Even In Small Preserves
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https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mountain-lions-major-ecological-impact.html <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73775 <-- shared paper
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https://youtu.be/jy-ngOhoNPU?si=WTSMWz9XuaqT8Z4O <-- shared Standford overview video
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https://youtu.be/CzSCu2FOj0Q?si=bb15-e03DLuWhQ4Y <-- shared Stanford overview video
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[not my usual fare to post, but fascinating…]
“#Bigcats have a big impact. A long-term study showed that when mountain lions began regular visits to a small suburban preserve about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of San Francisco, they changed the behavior of many other animals.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor) started appearing with increasing frequency on trail cameras at Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) from 2015 to 2020. Researchers documented a corresponding drop in deer activity compared with the prior years of lower or absent puma activity. Vegetation surveys also showed that many woody plants deer like to eat or tend to trample, including young oak trees, began to thrive.
These types of multilevel effects, called trophic cascades, have been studied primarily in large wilderness areas, particularly cascades caused by #apexpredators such as #wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park...”
#mountainlion #cougar #puma #trophiccascade #JasperRidgeBiologicalPreserve #OotchaminOoyakma #monitoring #spatiotemporal #spatialanalysis #trailcamera #deer #rabbit #coyote #bobcat #fox #vegetation #survey #oak #tree #young #sapling #plant #predator #preyabundance #herbivore #health #ecosystem #balance #habitat #mesopredator #crossmapping #nocturnal #GIS #spatial #mapping #ecology #conservation #wilderness
#StanfordUniversity -
Mountain Lions Have Major Ecological Impact Even In Small Preserves
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https://phys.org/news/2026-06-mountain-lions-major-ecological-impact.html <-- shared technical article
--
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73775 <-- shared paper
--
https://youtu.be/jy-ngOhoNPU?si=WTSMWz9XuaqT8Z4O <-- shared Standford overview video
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https://youtu.be/CzSCu2FOj0Q?si=bb15-e03DLuWhQ4Y <-- shared Stanford overview video
--
[not my usual fare to post, but fascinating…]
“#Bigcats have a big impact. A long-term study showed that when mountain lions began regular visits to a small suburban preserve about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of San Francisco, they changed the behavior of many other animals.
Mountain lions (Puma concolor) started appearing with increasing frequency on trail cameras at Stanford's Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ('Ootchamin 'Ooyakma) from 2015 to 2020. Researchers documented a corresponding drop in deer activity compared with the prior years of lower or absent puma activity. Vegetation surveys also showed that many woody plants deer like to eat or tend to trample, including young oak trees, began to thrive.
These types of multilevel effects, called trophic cascades, have been studied primarily in large wilderness areas, particularly cascades caused by #apexpredators such as #wolves reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park...”
#mountainlion #cougar #puma #trophiccascade #JasperRidgeBiologicalPreserve #OotchaminOoyakma #monitoring #spatiotemporal #spatialanalysis #trailcamera #deer #rabbit #coyote #bobcat #fox #vegetation #survey #oak #tree #young #sapling #plant #predator #preyabundance #herbivore #health #ecosystem #balance #habitat #mesopredator #crossmapping #nocturnal #GIS #spatial #mapping #ecology #conservation #wilderness
#StanfordUniversity -
KITTY!
Pasadena Star News: Mountain lion in busy area of Pasadena, forces road closures and large police presence
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KITTY!
Pasadena Star News: Mountain lion in busy area of Pasadena, forces road closures and large police presence
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Are Caltech students particularly tasty at this time of year?
City of Pasadena: Mountain Lion - Del Mar Blvd & Euclid Ave
A mountain lion is in the area of Del Mar Boulevard & Euclid Avenue. Please shelter in place if you are near this area as a precaution. Animal control officers are on scene with the Pasadena Police Department. Traffic in the immediate area may be affected by road closures.
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Are Caltech students particularly tasty at this time of year?
City of Pasadena: Mountain Lion - Del Mar Blvd & Euclid Ave
A mountain lion is in the area of Del Mar Boulevard & Euclid Avenue. Please shelter in place if you are near this area as a precaution. Animal control officers are on scene with the Pasadena Police Department. Traffic in the immediate area may be affected by road closures.
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Dog refusing to walk today or leave the yard. So, doggie walk has been cancelled..Wonder if the large kitty cat with teeth and claws is out behind my house this morning. #mountainlion #kittywatch2026
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Dog refusing to walk today or leave the yard. So, doggie walk has been cancelled..Wonder if the large kitty cat with teeth and claws is out behind my house this morning. #mountainlion #kittywatch2026
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No kitty photos on cameras, and the dog fully relaxed today. Appears the kitty has moved away from this particular corner. #kittywatch2026 #mountainlion
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No kitty photos on cameras, and the dog fully relaxed today. Appears the kitty has moved away from this particular corner. #kittywatch2026 #mountainlion
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...went outside again, and the cat is *most certainly* upwind (based on the dog's signaling to me). But not near at the moment. I wonder where it's going... Very young. Dispersing from home, did it come from the North (over the freeway) or the South? (more likely). It's going to get bounded by the 101 freeway on the north side if it keeps heading through that way... lots of well vegetated backyards all the way there. Dog is now on restriction from the yard, I REALLY do not want to defend a dog with a tactical flashlight if a big kitty pounced him (or me). Anyway, not going outside for a bit lol. . #kittywatch2026 #mountainlion
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...went outside again, and the cat is *most certainly* upwind (based on the dog's signaling to me). But not near at the moment. I wonder where it's going... Very young. Dispersing from home, did it come from the North (over the freeway) or the South? (more likely). It's going to get bounded by the 101 freeway on the north side if it keeps heading through that way... lots of well vegetated backyards all the way there. Dog is now on restriction from the yard, I REALLY do not want to defend a dog with a tactical flashlight if a big kitty pounced him (or me). Anyway, not going outside for a bit lol. . #kittywatch2026 #mountainlion
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Crows know where
big hungry kitty is hiding
So that's where
I won't be mountain bike riding#mountainlion #kittywatch2026 #poem (human)
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Crows know where
big hungry kitty is hiding
So that's where
I won't be mountain bike riding#mountainlion #kittywatch2026 #poem (human)
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Kitty! 😱 (Newbury Park, yesterday 5/30/26)
On the other hand, my wildlife cameras did not catch any view of the mountain lion, and haven't heard the crows alerting at all this morning (yet). The crows *were* patrolling behind my house last night though, but no alerting.
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Kitty! 😱 (Newbury Park, yesterday 5/30/26)
On the other hand, my wildlife cameras did not catch any view of the mountain lion, and haven't heard the crows alerting at all this morning (yet). The crows *were* patrolling behind my house last night though, but no alerting.
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Oooh, there's apparently a kitty on our street. 😱 #mountainlion
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Oooh, there's apparently a kitty on our street. 😱 #mountainlion
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#WildlifePhotographer says death of mother cougar was illegal: https://zorz.it/idtHw
#MattGrowcoot #Canada #cougar #hunt #JohnMarriott #hunting #MountainLion #MotherCougar #DeathOfMother
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Big kitty, kitty, kitty sighting in Davis, CA. Very unusual. Photo taken mid afternoon on the in-city neighborhood greenbelt while walking the dog. #wildlife #mountainlion
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Big kitty, kitty, kitty sighting in Davis, CA. Very unusual. Photo taken mid afternoon on the in-city neighborhood greenbelt while walking the dog. #wildlife #mountainlion
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Rescued Mountain lion cub at Oakland Zoo becomes fan favorite online
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlRCgFuGu10 Inside a small enclosure lined with blankets and surrounded by at least two dozen stuffed animals, 5-week-old Crimson bats and tumbles. Then, he drops low, giving a quick pre-pounce shimmy before springing at his next "victim," a fuzzy purple dinosaur with yellow hair. "These toys are a temporary replacement for the siblings he unfortunately doesn't have anymore," said Amber Foley, Oakland Zoo's lead keeper. Crimson is a mountain lion cub who was […] -
Oh look, they rescued an abandoned baby mountain lion! (somewhere near Agoura). Now being cared for at the Oakland Zoo.
"...CDFW and Partners Find Orphaned Mountain Lion Kitten Following Coordinated Monitoring Effort.
LOS ANGELES — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Los Angeles Zoo, has intervened on an orphaned mountain lion kitten in Southern California following a coordinated, science-based monitoring effort.
The approximately 22-day-old kitten, identified as P-131, was detected through ongoing tracking of his collared mother (P-129) as part of long-term research led by the National Park Service. Biologists observed a change in the mother’s movement patterns that indicated the den may have been abandoned. ..."
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Oh look, they rescued an abandoned baby mountain lion! (somewhere near Agoura). Now being cared for at the Oakland Zoo.
"...CDFW and Partners Find Orphaned Mountain Lion Kitten Following Coordinated Monitoring Effort.
LOS ANGELES — The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Los Angeles Zoo, has intervened on an orphaned mountain lion kitten in Southern California following a coordinated, science-based monitoring effort.
The approximately 22-day-old kitten, identified as P-131, was detected through ongoing tracking of his collared mother (P-129) as part of long-term research led by the National Park Service. Biologists observed a change in the mother’s movement patterns that indicated the den may have been abandoned. ..."
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Photographer Spots Tricksy Mountain Lion Lurking in Wildlife Refuge https://petapixel.com/2026/03/07/photographer-spots-tricksy-mountain-lion-lurking-in-wildlife-refuge/ #mountainlion #camouflaged #yellowstone #camouflage #Editorial #Features #elk
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Photographer Spots Tricksy Mountain Lion Lurking in Wildlife Refuge https://petapixel.com/2026/03/07/photographer-spots-tricksy-mountain-lion-lurking-in-wildlife-refuge/ #mountainlion #camouflaged #yellowstone #camouflage #Editorial #Features #elk
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Sleepy Mountain Lion Wakes Up Right in Front of Trail Camera https://petapixel.com/2026/02/04/sleepy-mountain-lion-wakes-up-right-in-front-of-trail-camera/ #animalselfie #mountainlion #trailcamera #trailcam #cougar #selfie #sleep #News #puma
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Sleepy Mountain Lion Wakes Up Right in Front of Trail Camera https://petapixel.com/2026/02/04/sleepy-mountain-lion-wakes-up-right-in-front-of-trail-camera/ #animalselfie #mountainlion #trailcamera #trailcam #cougar #selfie #sleep #News #puma
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@tsturm @jmccyoung @catsalad @dev Oooh, it was on the other side of the park, in a similar location. I apparently owe someone money lol.
"...At 6:21 a.m. on Tuesday, an alert was sent to San Francisco residents reporting the animal had been located and that animal control employees were on the scene. The animal was located at Octavia and California streets, near the landmark Atherton House, in the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, where the animal was cornered by officials. .."
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-san-francisco-21317850.php
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@tsturm @jmccyoung @catsalad @dev Oooh, it was on the other side of the park, in a similar location. I apparently owe someone money lol.
"...At 6:21 a.m. on Tuesday, an alert was sent to San Francisco residents reporting the animal had been located and that animal control employees were on the scene. The animal was located at Octavia and California streets, near the landmark Atherton House, in the wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, where the animal was cornered by officials. .."
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/mountain-lion-san-francisco-21317850.php
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"S.F. mountain lion tranquilized, will be released into wild
Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, a California Fish and Wildlife officer arrived with what appeared to be a tranquilizer gun and walked into the apartment building at California and Octavia streets attached to the yard where the lion was hiding. A shot sounded. Officials quickly brought in a cage.
“It is a male around 2 years old and 77 pounds. He is doing OK. Fish and Wildlife will take him and release him to a natural habitat"
(paywall/adwall/etc.)
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mountain-lion-pacific-heights-21316657.php
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"S.F. mountain lion tranquilized, will be released into wild
Shortly before 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, a California Fish and Wildlife officer arrived with what appeared to be a tranquilizer gun and walked into the apartment building at California and Octavia streets attached to the yard where the lion was hiding. A shot sounded. Officials quickly brought in a cage.
“It is a male around 2 years old and 77 pounds. He is doing OK. Fish and Wildlife will take him and release him to a natural habitat"
(paywall/adwall/etc.)
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mountain-lion-pacific-heights-21316657.php
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Surprised they didn't add - "consider calling a waymo".. #mountainlion #sfba
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Surprised they didn't add - "consider calling a waymo".. #mountainlion #sfba
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Skunk Confronts Mountain Lion in Incredible Trail Camera Footage https://petapixel.com/2025/12/22/skunk-confronts-mountain-lion-in-incredible-trail-camera-footage/ #angelesnationalforest #mountainlion #trailcamera #california #cameratrap #Features #cougar #skunk #News
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Man Leaves Trail Camera in Cave for 10 Years, Captures Incredible Footage
A filmmaker left a trail camera inside an old grizzly bear den near Yellowstone National Park for over…
#NewsBeep #News #Wildlife #AU #Australia #cameratrap #Coyote #grizzlybear #mountainlion #Science #trailcamera
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/306552/ -
Man Leaves Trail Camera in Cave for 10 Years, Captures Incredible Footage https://petapixel.com/2025/11/24/man-leaves-trail-camera-in-yellowstone-cave-grizzly-bear-den-for-10-years-captures-incredible-footage/ #mountainlion #grizzlybear #trailcamera #cameratrap #coyote #News
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The present and future of the Eastern Cougar
Are mountain lions here in the eastern US? The answer is complicated. More critical is the question, “Should we actively bring them back?“
The infamous “black panther”
It’s interesting when new items about the same topic cluster together in time or space. Earlier this week, I was listening to an episode of Dark Outdoors podcast featuring Shadow Cats author Michael Mayes. The topic was the reports of “black panthers” in North America. This was a very rational and balanced take on the many reports of people claiming to see large black cats and what could reasonably account for the experiences.
What they can’t be is melanistic mountain lions because that is not a biological possibility, knowing what we know about the genetics of mountain lions and the fact that they have been hunted for centuries, including to extinction in the northeast U.S. Chester and Mike explained that a black coat variant is associated with cats that are patterned – leopards and jaguars – where the excess of dark pigment in results in a melanistic individual. This isn’t an option for mountain lions, which are not patterned but uniformly tawny to gray with light underbellies. Give this episode a listen!
Sightings of eastern cougars
On this blog, the most vehement arguments I get in the comments is from people who insist that dowsing is real. Had I written content critical of big cat sightings in the northeast, I’m pretty sure this would result in the same outraged and insistent comments. It’s such a controversial topic! Yet, facts are facts: there is no evidence that wild mountain lions can be found in northeast states.
The example trotted out time after time is that of the young male that was killed in Connecticut in 2011. Testing showed that it was part of a population from the Black Hills of South Dakota, and that genetic testing matched samples of an animal confirmed as having been in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The animal had likely taken a northern route, through Canada, and came south, meaning it crossed at least one major river only to be done in by a car. He was an outlier and a loner.
Other cats that have been found in the east may or may not have been migrants. We don’t know. Consider the mystery of the October 2015 game camera photograph from Obion County, Tennessee that was authenticated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. They report that there have been a handful of other sightings in western and middle Tennessee since that time. It’s unclear how many individuals account for the incidents, but it’s single digits.
Remember the Rochester lion from June of this year? That was almost certainly a captive animal that got loose in the New York town. We never got a conclusion to that mystery.
Otherwise, we don’t have photographic proof, definitive prints, or other bodies. So, it’s possible that a few intrepid males are making it this far, but there is not an established breeding population. Individuals are very rare.
Almost all the modern stories about mountain lions west of the Mississippi (north of Florida) are mistaken identifications or tall tales. (No, I don’t want to hear your stories, please. They won’t do anything to convince me.)
Should they, would they… come back?
Mountain lions were native to the eastern US until they were extirpated in the 1930s. There remains an argument regarding the “Eastern cougar” being its own subspecies. With modern genetic testing, the consensus is that the eastern cougar population was not distinct enough to be labeled a subspecies. (They are all Puma concolor, from Canada to Chile.) Therefore, an expansion of “western” animals to the east would be a repopulation. That’s the goal one organization, Mighty Earth affiliate Bring Catamounts Home, who advocate for rewilding – bringing the big cat back to the Northeastern US.
On 18 November 2025, an article in The Guardian floated the idea of introducing the mountain lion, or catamount, back into Vermont. Quoting Renee Seacor, the group’s northeastern rewilding director, Vermont is a leading contender for welcoming back the big cat. The amazing, rich forest lands of Vermont would be prime habitat, flush with deer, their main prey item. Vermonters are actively considering the proposition, with the majority of opinions being positive.
Without assistance, the animals would not be able to gain a foothold in the east in our lifetime. Here was a quote from the Guardian article that got my attention:
Reintroducing mountain lions to Vermont as a breeding population could happen naturally but it would take decades, Seacor estimated, as they migrate from the Dakotas to the Carolinas and Tennessee and up the Appalachian chain to the north-east.
Wait a second! They come from the Dakotas to the south and then up the Appalachians? That’s not right. How do they get across the Mississippi!? I messaged Bring Catamounts Home to ask about this confusing scenario, and Renee Seacor immediately got back to me. Renee confirmed that phrasing was incorrect. There is no basis for a scenario where the Carolinas and Tennessee as part of any potential recolonization route. (Always read news articles carefully. Big errors are not uncommon.)
Renee pointed me to a 2024 study in Biological Conservation journal using a model of carnivore range expansion applied to cougars. The model successfully predicted past historical recolonization. The projected model showed the most likely area to see a breeding population would be Manitoba, Canada by 2100. Natural expansion goes slowly, with the far more likely scenario that the population expands north into new areas.
The immediate issue, then, is not to worry about errant and rare individuals who may get lucky and make it all the way here. That effort would be for naught if they have no mates, and are not part of a cohort to reestablish the population. It’s going to take an intervention. But people are nervous about bringing back apex predators. Will they really take only wildlife prey and make an impact on the nuisance numbers of white-tail deer? Or will they threaten livestock, pets and children. Fear is a hard thing to overcome.
I’m not going to lie. When I’m walking around rocky woodlands in Pennsylvania, I think about what it would be like knowing there are mountain lions around. It’s freaky. But, in my mind, these are rightfully their spaces too. It’s an exciting idea.
#blackPanthers #catamount #easternCougar #mountainLion #mountainLionSightingPennsylvania #northeast #pumaConcolor #rewilding #Tennessee #vermont
