Ecosystems Overview

Mountain lions are the second largest cat in the Americas (jaguars are the largest!). They live in many different types of ecosystems, including forests, grasslands, swamps, and even rocky mountainsides. They can live in any environment as long as it has two important features: lots of prey animals, like deer, rabbits, and raccoons, and places to hide so they can ambush, or sneak up on, their prey. They use their strong sense of sight, smell, and hearing to find their prey. Their soft paw pads help them walk quietly and their sharp teeth and claws take care of the rest! 

Mountain lions have a huge range across both North and South America. People living in the different parts of their range gave them a different name, so they can be called pumas, cougars, panthers, catamounts, or many others depending on where you are. Due to habitat loss and hunting, their populations have been almost entirely wiped out of the eastern part of the United States. There is one small population found in Florida where they are called “Florida panthers.” No other animal in the world has as many names as the mountain lion!