Mountain Lion (Felis concolor)

Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)
Mammals Around Las Vegas, Wildlife Around Las Vegas

	Mountain Lions (Puma concolor) are very large, pale brown cats with short ears and a very long tail. They are tawny (gray-brownish) overall, except for brown or black on the tip of the tail. Adult mountain lions weigh 80-200 pounds. Mountain Lions are fairly common in the deserts and mountains around Las Vegas, but they are shy and seldom seen. Occasionally, however, old animals will move into the edges of town where it is far easier to catch and eat house cats than it is to catch mule deer or bighorn sheep. Unfortunately, these majestic animals always end up dead.
	Mountain Lions have a cry that is similar to that of a tomcat in a fight, but much louder. I've never seen a Mountain Lion, but I've heard two. I heard one at dusk near a spring on Mt. Charleston; it only cried once, but it sent shivers up my spine. The other one was on a campout on my property in Arizona. The big cat sat on some rocks across a canyon from me and cried on and off for over an hour. I stoked my fire a little higher and marveled at the amazing sounds.
	Notice the long tail with a black tip.
	Look at the size of that front foot!
	It is hard to believe that such a large creature can hide (wait in ambush) behind a little clump of grass.
	Around Las Vegas, Mountain Lions mostly eat mule deer and bighorn sheep, plus anything else they can catch.
	If you were a tasty deer or a bighorn sheep, this might be the last face you ever see!