BADGES 95 



Its general behavior was like that of adult badgers seen elsewhere, but it 

 displayed little or none of the combativeness which characterizes the full- 

 grown animals. 



Northwestern Mountain Lion 

 Felis oregonensis oregonensis Rafinesque 



Field characters. — Appearance cat-like; size of a mastiff dog; tail long and slender; 

 head and body about 4 feet, tail about 2^/^ feet; ear about Sy^ inches; weight, adult 

 males about 135 pounds, adult females about 100 pounds. Coloration rich reddish 

 brown above; chin and throat and middle of under surface white; outer sides of ears, 

 nose, feet, and end of tail blackish. There is also a 'gray' phase where the pelage is 

 grayish brown rather than reddish brown. Tracks: cat-like, usually wider than long, 

 3 to 4% inches across; heel pad wide. 



Occurrence. — E^sident in moderate numbers on west slope of Sierra Nevada, chiefly 

 in Upper Sonoran, Transition and Canadian zones. Lives in both brushy and forested 

 country. Usually solitary. 



The Northwestern Mountain Lion, which is also known as cougar, 

 panther, and puma, is the second largest carnivorous mammal in the 

 Yosemite region, being exceeded in size only by the bears. The Mountain 

 Lion is large and strong enough, no doubt, to prey upon human beings 

 if it so chose ; but instead of being the terror of the country, as are lions 

 and big cats in other parts of the world, our lion has practically never been 

 known to attack a person, and indeed very seldom does it come to notice 

 at all. Many persons, even woodsmen and hunters, long resident in regions 

 where Mountain Lions occur, have never so much as caught sight of one. 

 And in spite of the hundreds and even thousands of persons who camp 

 each summer in the mountains, no one has been reported to have been 

 molested by lions. 



In general appearance the Mountain Lion, save for its far larger size, 

 is much like a domestic cat. The head is short and massive, the forelegs 

 are of heavy build, the body rather slender, and the tail long and cylindrical 

 with an even covering of hair clear to the end, but with no 'tassel.' The 

 Mountain Lion is several times the size of a large Mountain Coyote or a 

 Sierra Nevada Wolverine. As to actual size we will cite, in the absence of 

 carefully measured specimens from the Yosemite region, two typical indi- 

 viduals killed at a point farther north in the Sierra Nevada (Lynchburg, 

 Placer County). The male measured 6 feet 6I/4 inches from tip of nose 

 to end of tail (excluding hairs), the tail was 2 feet 6i/^ inches, and the 

 ear 3% inches. It measured 28^2 inches in height at the shoulder and 

 by two reliable observers was estimated to weigh about 134 pounds. The 

 female measured 6 feet 4 inches over all, with tail 2 feet 6 inches, and 

 ear ^Yz inches. Its height at shoulder was 271/^ inches, and estimates of 

 weight were 95 to 100 pounds. 



