According to the National Park Service, вЂњloss of predators led to overpopulation of deer and other herbivores, resulting in overgrazing, increased erosion and decline in the long-term health of whole ecosystems.вЂќ (NPS. And by the early 1900вЂ™s, the mountain lion population across the entire US was decimated. In the eastern U.S., mountain lion populations were virtually non-existent in most states by the 1890s, with only a few remote pockets in states like New York, Vermont, Maine, and Florida. Settlers believed the large predator would have a negative effect on game populations, as well as on their livestock herds and many rushed to collect bounties on the large cat.

As settlers began to move across North America in search of new territory, often with livestock in tow, they came into contact with mountain lions. The decline of mountain lions began in the 1600вЂ™s when the bounty hunting of mountain lions began nationwide. Their former range was once all of what is now the continental United States. Though they have rebounded well, mountain lion populations were drastically reduced during the great expansion westward. Managing Mountain Lions вЂ“ A brief history Typical mountain lion scat looks similar to a domestic dogвЂ™s feces would but larger and often with bits of hair and bone from its prey visible. It can be covered up similar to a domestic cat, does not always look uniform, and is typically left at a scrape for territorial marking. Mountain lion tracks can often be distinguished from a coyote or a domestic dog. If you suspect a mountain lion is frequenting your area, keep in mind that you may not see the individual animal, but may notice вЂњwildlife cluesвЂќ left behind like scat and footprints. For more information on mountain lions, check out our species information page. Mountain lions are typically quite elusive, solitary animals, unless it is breeding season or a female is rearing young. California Mountain Lion range map.In addition to being found in the United States, they are also native and thriving in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.ДЄdults are uniformly tan or beige colored (while young have spots), three to five feet in length (not including the tail), and adults weigh between 80 to 180 pounds (females are smaller). Widely distributed across California wherever deer are present, it is estimated there are only between 3,000 to 6,000 cats statewide, typically found in the foothills and more mountainous regions of the state.

Images from beartracker777 youtube, yosemitenps IGВ & yosemiteconservancy.Mountain lions have the greatest geographic range of any carnivore in the Western Hemisphere and they are the largest wild cat found in Western North America. Yosemite has the potential to serve as a refuge for CaliforniaвЂ™s mountain lions, which face threats from statewide habitat loss. As a keystone species, they regulate populations of prey animals, such as deer and raccoons, and influence the movements of other predators, such as coyotes and bears.

вЂњMountain lions fill an important niche in the park. Researchers have been using specially trained dogs to find mountain lion scat to conduct a survey of the population by collecting genetic samples вЂњwithout disrupting the lions or their habitat.вЂќResults will inform efforts to protect the species and make sureВ Yosemite serves as a habitat haven for CaliforniaвЂ™s mountain lions. Mountain lion poo detecting dogs are just one of dozens of new projects happening behind the scenes in Yosemite National ParkВ funded by $15.3 million in donations from the parkвЂ™s main philanthropic partner, Yosemite Conservancy. In addition to contributing to scientific understanding of mountain lions, this research will inform plans to protect the species in Yosemite and throughout California.вЂќ With your support, researchers are analyzing remote camera images, as well as scat and other genetic material collected during recent field surveys, to identify individual lions figure out where they live, hunt and roam in the park and ultimately, estimate the overall population size. вЂњ2021 marks the final leg of this three-year study.

Mountain lion poop