More Q & A with Wildlife Conservation Biologist Mike Kutilek
- POST: Mountain lions have the greatest geographic range of any carnivore in the Western Hemisphere. What makes them so adaptable?
- MK:Their evolution has been interesting. Their geographic range, at least before the Europeans came to North and South America, ranged all the way from southern Canada clear down to the tip of Chile. There are subspecies, but they are a single species throughout that entire geographic range. I think it’s because they’ve evolved in so many habitat types that they have that plasticity, that ability to adapt to a lot of different conditions. They live in forests, deserts, and riparian areas along the sides of streams. The only place they don’t live really well is in open grasslands unless there’s some additional cover.
- POST: Why haven’t there been any long-term studies of mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains until now with the Puma Project at the University of California, Santa Cruz?
- MK: I think one reason there haven’t been a lot of studies of mountain lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains is because there are much smaller land parcels here. In order to really study lions in the field, you have to get on the land. In the Diablo range, you might have to talk to 5-6 landowners to get onto a reasonably large piece of property. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, you might have to talk to hundreds of landowners to be able to gain access to the same size acreage. So getting access to the land has historically been a lot more difficult here than in other ranges. Now with newer technology like GPS and remote camera stations, it’s easier to track animals like mountain lions over a lot of small parcels of land.
- POST: What more can be done to keep wildlife habitat connected?
- MK: We have such a history of development in this state. We like to build summer homes in the mountains and put freeways in-between mountain ranges. The real issue, I think, is the need to address the possibility of corridors in development plans before the land has been fragmented rather than afterwards. Fortunately we’re starting to see this with city and regional planners who are starting include wildlife corridors into the development mix.
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COUGAR ETIQUETTE 101
Discourage visits. Keep pets and livestock from wandering, especially at night, and clear brush on your property that may provide cover.
Take a friend; don’t go out alone.
Avoid travel when mountain lions are most active – dawn, dusk and at night.
If you do encounter a mountain lion, stand tall and don’t run. Make yourself look larger (and less like normal prey that turns and runs) by raising your arms and talking slowly and loudly. If you are with a child, pick them up.
Don’t approach a mountain lion. Give them time and space to get away.
If attacked, fight back.