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Thursday, December 22, 2016

More Mountain Lion Action

Yesterday was devoted mostly to trying to keep our black dog calm and not-too-unhappy. I can't blame him for feeling upset. He just went through this same thing so very recently. What he doesn't know is that this episode should be much shorter - assuming that the pathology reports are not bad.

In the meantime, I spent some time sorting through the 200 GB of footage that I have so far of animals eating the elk carcass. For today, I'll share mountain lion footage. No other mammals, like coyotes, dared to go near the carcass while the mountain lion was still interested in it.

In the video, you'll first see one of our favorite dog friends check out the carcass and try to eat a little of it before sprinting back to his human. Then, you'll see the mountain lion arrive for his second night of eating. The contrast between the Lab's size and the mountain lion's size is stunning to me.

The mountain lion was always very wary while at the carcass. He'd stop eating to scan his surroundings regularly. I'm not sure if he'd be so wary if he weren't close to humans. He did one bout of eating from nightfall until 7PM. Then he returned at 4AM and ate for an hour. I wonder if his umbilical hernia limits how much he can eat in one bout because it must hurt if his intestines get full.

His strength awes me. When he first arrived both times, it looked as if he tried to move the elk but couldn't pull it uphill. If it were a smaller prey item or if a secluded spot were downhill, I'm sure that the lion would have opted to move the carcass to a safer spot.

Finally, when he departed at 5AM, he covered the carcass with snow, using his mammoth paws to throw snow backward onto the carcass.

Enjoy the peek into a mountain lion's life in the video.

17 comments:

  1. that are pictures I never saw this way.... it's so great to see the real life of animals... thanks for sharing ...

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  2. The video is fantastic! He obviously doesn't like the pawparazzi. We had a mountain lion sadly killed in the Los Angeles area "P-39" crossing the freeway. They think she had a litter which they are desperately looking for
    Lily & Edward

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  3. WOW! The secret lives of animals. That's so pawesome. We love your trail camera shots.

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  4. Beautiful Cat and so strong and smart.

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  5. That's scary to think what could have happened when the dog sampled!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  6. Fascinating. You can really see the muscles in the lion's legs as he rips at the carcass. Thank you for giving insight into way you live.

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  7. Hard work to get a feed, and so interesting to see him cover it over again. Hope R is managing to cope with the quiet life.

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  8. Thank you for sharing.
    I was under the impression that lions often shave the hair off their victim before they dine, obviously i was wrong.

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  9. The carcass covering cracks me up. I mean, seriously, that cat needs to repeat Carcass Covering 101, cuz those sticks and 1 paw of snow isn't gonna cut it. LOL! ;)

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    1. Thanks for the laugh. You're right! Maybe Loki could give a lesson to him?

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  10. OMD, that is one funny Mountain Lion! I thinks he needs to take a doggie course in how to back cover your stash! ☺
    Did you see the Mountain Lion footage from here in the Bay Area? Where the Mountain Lion killed a deer on someone's front porch and when they turned the light on the lion took the deer and jumped the fence?? It was wild! Luckily, we are far enough away from the hills to get the ML, we do get the coyotes and other asst. critters!
    Anyhu, sendin' lots and lots of POTP to R and lots of healin' vibes, and gots my paws crossed real tight on those results!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  11. I agree the difference in their size is amazing. The lion looks almost as big as the elk and both make R look tiny! I do hope he is feeling better soon!

    Hope you have a wonderful holiday season

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  12. Awesome video! That mountain lion is a treat to watch!

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  13. I just recently discovered your blog. As a long time Gilpin county local I really enjoy seeing the wildlife in their element. Thank you!

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