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Friday, August 7, 2020

Feline Friday - Mountain Lions Tracking Each Other

The mountain lion population wows me with their daytime appearances and fascinating behavior. This was a spot where the "main Tom" had marked about five days later. This thin female sniffed his pee-mail next to a human trail around noon one day.

Then, she opened her mouth wide to better sample the pheromones. This is called the Flehmen response.

A similar series of events led to this female adopting a graceful pose as she sampled air.

Then, she looked toward the camera before departing.

So many people think that mountain lions live someplace far away or really deep in the forest. They don't. Rather, they are right here among us living out their lives. In this time of crowds descending upon previously quiet trail areas, it is important that people think about their actions for the sake of the wildlife. Why not stick with well-established human hiking areas so that the wildlife can continue to eke out their existence in the quieter areas?

Check out the video of these mountain lions who live in our midst. During this pandemic, the pressure by people upon them has escalated dramatically. Let's hope that there's still enough room for them to flourish.

19 comments:

  1. Hari Om
    Always good to know who's in the hood!!! YAM xx

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  2. Poor thin cat, I wonder is it because she's been nursing or is she ill? They are such beautiful creatures.

    Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Oh my, now that's a feline, but a very thin one. She looks healthy though. I so enjoy your offerings of the beauty of your area.

    Thank you for joining the Feline Friday Blog Hop.

    Have a purrfect Feline Friday and weekend. Scritches to the pups. ♥

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  4. Poor cat. What can be done to make people aware of the animals and not to disturb them and to avoid the trails?

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    1. I don't know. If you warn people to give the animals space in one particular place, it seems that MORE people go to that area in hopes of seeing the animals. I have seen that time and time again. The thing about this area is that people drive up here, hop out of their cars, and then go directly past all of the "no trespassing" signs (due to private property) to get to these spots that used to be protected by private property. I literally almost cried the other day while watching the parade of tourists going past a cam that usually sees only me and 2-3 other people PER YEAR. It's really sad.

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  5. I love seeing your Lions but to tell you the truth I'm glad that they don't live in my neighborhood because I would be scared to go outside I'm not brave like you

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  6. Interesting that the lion samples the pheromones by opening her mouth, and not just by sniffing. Do other cats do that?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, a variety of animals use it. They include all sorts of cats and ungulates (deer, elk, moose, horses). Check out the wikipedia page about it! Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. They really are such beautiful creatures.

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  8. Hope that thin female gains some weight before the season changes and is able to avoid the crush of tourists that seem to be everywhere along the Front Range.

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  9. It's sad to hear that so many people are venturing where they haven't been before. We hope the big cats can survive despite the crush of humans.

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  10. The mountain lions are just so gorgeous. They need their space too just as we hoomans do.

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  11. That was an interesting observation about people and wildlife. So many never stop to think of the impact they might be having, or even that creatures could be nearby. I heard once of a bobcat sitting in a tree watching walkers go past, the majority of them not even seeing him sitting there.

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  12. Amen to that! It's sad that even wildlife has to suffer because of this virus.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  13. I love the raised head trying to catch the purrfect scent.
    Hugs cecilia

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  14. Such beautiful felines today...and we are having the same influx of tourists up here to the coastal redwoods.

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  15. They are beautiful creatures for sure. That female is so thin - hopes she finds something good to eat to help fatten her up.

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  16. Oh that is a thin lioness. It seems people are driving these creatures away from their homes. They are quite common where we live in Colorado. Enjoy your weekend and thanks for the wonderful photos shares and video too.
    I have posted my feline friday share at annesphamily.blogspot.com
    The joys of technology and the madness of blogger and me and my two blogs.

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