Mountain lions are obligate carnivores, meaning they only eat meat.
For more information about mountain lion life history, evolution and historical range, read Cougar: The American Lion below. Mountain lions used to be found throughout the United States, but due to bounty hunts in the early 1900s and threats such as persecution, trophy hunting, poaching, retaliation in response to livestock depredation, kitten orphaning, poisoning and habitat loss and fragmentation, mountain lions are now only found in 15 western states, and the genetically isolated Florida panther remains in the East. While their longitudinal range has remained, their latitudinal range has shrunk by more than half. Solitary cats, mountain lions are highly adaptable to situations and environments, and this adaptability has enabled them to survive across much of their original range in the America's, despite severe habitat loss and active threats.
They are the most wide-ranging cat species in the world and are found as far north as Canada and as far south as Chile. Mountain lions are known by many names, including cougar, puma, catamount, painter, panther, and many more.
