Following are some facts regarding mountain lions:
1. Mountain Lion is the most widely distributed big cat in the Americas.
2. Over time it has earned more names than any other animal, including cougar, pi-twal, puma, catamount and many others.
3. Even with its strong physique, the Mountain Lion is like smaller cats in its bodily make-up and is often not included in big cats due to the animal's inability to roar.
4. With its rudder-like tail and sleek physique, Mountain Lions are often said to be related to Cheetahs in their evolution, even as there is a dearth of evidence at the moment to substantiate this theory.
5. Mountain Lions are agile creatures. Their long hind limbs enable them to jump a distance of nearly thirteen metres in one go.
6. Skilled hunters, Mountain Lions are able to prey upon a wide variety of creatures, ranging from small ones like mice to big animals like moose. The most commonly hunted animal though, in majority of regions, remains the deer.
7. Ambush predators, Mountain Lions bring to use their considerable athleticism and momentum to bring down their hunted animals, and afterwards go on to make the kill with a bite on the animal's neck.
8. If they are unable to eat the whole of the hunted animal in one go, the wild cats often hide their kill to return to it later.
9. Even with their great predatory ability, Mountain Lions are not the apex predators in many parts where they reside and face considerable competition from larger animals like Jaguars and Bears.
10. Owing to this competition, these cats have evolved into designing unique survival strategies in many areas, including the ability to climb atop trees and swim distances to go after prey.
11. Despite their huge geographic range and survival skills, Mountain Lion numbers are decreasing in nature owing to loss of habitat and prey species.
12. Conflicts with humans also are behind the lowering of Mountain Lion numbers, who are increasingly under threat from people who keep encroaching into their range.
13. The highest numbers of attacks by the Mountain Lions on people reportedly occur in the notorious 'Cougar Island' in British Columbia where Cougars exist in high population density.
The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on cougar facts.
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