Aside from encroaching on their habitat for urban development, humans also hunt these animals so much so that their populations are depleted in many parts of the Americas. Humans pose the biggest threat to these animals. Another mountain lion population, the Florida panther, is listed as critically endangered in the US endangered species list. In 2011, a subspecies of the mountain lion, the eastern cougar was declared extinct by the U.S. In the western US, mountain lion populations are currently stable but far lower than the historical figures. They were almost exterminated from eastern US due to extensive hunting throughout the 19th and 20th centuries as they were considered a risk to livestock.

The historic range of this species included nearly the entire Americas but now they are confined to only 28 countries. However, organizations like Panthera warn that their numbers are steadily declining across their range. They are listed as of “Least Concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. During this time their primary prey, the deer, is also actively out roaming in the open. They can be prowling during the day but they are most active at night most especially at dusk and dawn. They can even eat small animals like mice and birds. They are known to attack livestock and even animals twice their size like cattle and horses. They are also known to hunt and eat other animals like goats and sheep or rodents like rabbits, capybaras, and porcupines. Its main prey is deer including the white-tailed deer, the elk, and even the largest ones, the moose. Mountain lions are carnivores, which means that they feed on other animals to survive. They are known to leap from the ground to trees or jump from trees to pounce on prey on the ground. Their muscular hind legs allow them to jump as high as 18 feet from the ground, although they are also known to jump up to 20 feet up or down mountains. These mammals have extremely strong legs that help them jump long distances.

Typeit4me mountain lion