4 Mountain Lions of the Black Hills
americana), a species formerly extinct in the region that had recently been reintro-
duced by means of releases of marten from western states. I proposed a study that
would address both needs, which was supported and subsequently funded.
Large mammals generally have a large following of interested recreationalists,
man ag ers, and naturalists, as well as those who devote their lives to scientific study of
these “charismatic megafauna.” The interest may be focused on obtaining a trophy set
of horns or antlers (depending on the species), or maybe on the breathtaking experi-
ence of, for example, viewing a herd of elk on a hillside. For scientists, the interest is
likely to center on learning how a species interacts with its environment or what
factors affect its existence. Predators, unlike deer or other large herbi vorous spe-
cies, are viewed both positively and negatively by vari ous people, and those of large
size, such as the mountain lion (Puma concolor), are both loved and despised by
humans. These divergent views of mountain lions may arise just from the name “lion,”
which brings to mind the large cats of Africa and the Serengeti Plains, but the love-
hate mix also has to do with the tabbylike appearance of kittens, the stealthy be hav-
iors of adults that allow them to remain hidden in what might seem like open habitat,
and the adult capability of killing prey of vari ous sizes and strengths. I have had indi-
viduals call me to ask whether they can raise mountain lion kittens in their homes as
they would domestic cats; others tell me they would shoot mountain lions on sight or
avoid outdoor activities if any chance of encounter was even a thought. Even Theodore
Roo se velt ([1885] 2004, 651), when writing about the species, stated, “It is itself a more
skillful hunter than any human rival.... It is a beast of stealth and rapine; its great
velvet paws never make a sound, and it is always on watch whether for prey or
for enemies, while it rarely leaves shelter even when it thinks itself safe.” Such a de-
scription likely scared most readers of his work, and it may have negatively affected
the fate of the species, since at that time the mountain lion was considered vermin.
Despite or maybe because of such a definition, the mountain lion was chosen as the
mascot of the “Rough Riders” (a volunteer US cavalry of the Spanish- American War)
(fig 1.4).
The presence of mountain lions has been known to Eu ro pean settlers of the new
world for more than 500 years, at least since the time when Columbus first noted their
existence in Honduras and Nicaragua (Young and Goldman 1946), and the species
has long been an impor tant figure in Native American culture (Young and Goldman
1946; Logan and Sweanor 2001). The adaptability of the mountain lion is represented
by its historical distribution, which is one of the largest for terrestrial mammals; it
has ranged from the southern tip of Chile to the Yukon Territory (Logan and Sweanor
2000). This range of presence and adaptability across the landscape may have con-
tributed to the diversity of names (catamount, cougar, puma, panther, in addition to
mountain lion) used to refer to the species.
Mountain lions were pres ent in South Dakota historically, and in the late 1800s
they were documented throughout the state (Young and Goldman 1946; Turner 1974).