Characteristics of Black Hills Mountain Lions 33biological data, reversed the immobilizing agents, and remained close to the animal
for a period while it regained its composure.
We were pleased with the recapture of the male, but because of the adrenaline rush
that accompanies wildlife and especially lion captures, we had lost track of the time.
The temperature had been in the 60s, and because of the mild weather, I had gone off
on the chase wearing just a sweatshirt (my gradu ate students were constantly amazed
by my inability to bring sufficient clothing for captures of lions, deer, and other spe-
cies). By the time we left the capture site, it was dark, the temperature had declined
to below freezing, and the batteries in our GPS would not work properly. Luckily, there
was enough snow on the ground for us to follow the tracks of other capture crew mem-
bers who had left the site earlier. We met up with those crew members on one of the
main roads in the Black Hills late that night, feeling cold and tired from the day’s ac-
tivities. For a few additional years after that capture, that male lion continued to help
us understand how mountain lions were recolonizing the Black Hills.
General Information and Characteristics
The latin name of mountain lions, Puma concolor, means “cat of one color.” Moun-
tain lion fur varies in color from a tawny to a light cinnamon, with black on the back
of the ears and the tip of the tail. Kittens are spotted, and the spots fade as they age.
These faded spots, along with dark bars on the inner legs and the mottled appearance
of the underfur, are used together with dental characteristics to age the species (fig. 3.2;
Anderson and Lindzey 2000). Although cougars are currently classified as one
subspecies (P. concolor couguar) in North Amer i ca (Culver et al. 2000; Culver 2010),
weights and body mea sure ments vary geo graph i cally among populations (Maehr and
Moore 1992). A general trend of increasing body size with increasing latitude applies
to mountain lions (Kurten 1973; Iriarte et al. 1990).
Mountain lions exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males being about 60% larger than
females. Adult males can be more than 2.5 m (more than 8 ft.) in length, including
the tail, and weigh an average of 67 kg (150 lbs.). Adult females can be up to about
2 m (6.5 ft.) in length and weigh an average of 40 kg (90 lbs.). Generally, females tend
to cycle from about 50 kg (112 lbs.) when pregnant to about 40 kg (90 lbs.) when
lactating. Males, though, can continue to increase in weight up to about 78 kg in the
Black Hills, if they can maintain a territory. In the Black Hills, adult females are
approximately two- thirds the weight of adult males and approximately 17 cm shorter
in total length (Thompson 2009; table 3.1).
Lions in the Black Hills have been aged to over 9 years for both males and
females. Thompson (2009) mea sured 108 mountain lions (55 obtained during captures
and 53 from mortality events) ( table 3.1; fig. 3.3). Females had similar body mea sure-
ments across age classes, with the exception of plantar pad lengths of front feet and neck
circumference, both being larger in adult than in subadult females. Body mea sure ments