Characteristics of Black Hills Mountain Lions 35of male mountain lions differed by age class, and both adult and subadult males were
larger than females; adult males averaged 63.2 kg (141 lbs.) and 211.9 cm (7 ft.) in
length; subadult males averaged 46.9 kg (105 lbs.) and 205.9 cm (6.8 ft.) in total length.
Bobcats (Lyn x ruf us), the other resident wild cat in the Black Hills, weigh about 11 kg
(25 lbs.), average 76 cm (2.5 ft.) in length, and have short tails (Mosby 2011). Despite
the size and morphological differences between the two species, observations of
bobcats, along with domestic cats, continue to be confused with those of mountain
lions. Issues of depth perception prob ably account for such errors. The farther away an
figure 3.3. Collecting biological data on a captured mountain lion. The
young lion has begun to recover from immobilization. Photo by South
Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks.