Q: How do they manage
a jump of 42 feet and a vertical leap of 15 feet?
A: It's all about
adaptations. Remember, it's structure and function. If
an animal needs something to survive, then it will develop that skill over
time.
Q: Do mountain lions
migrate from place to place for any reason?
A: No, they don't
migrate. The males move from one place to another more frequently
than females. The males probably move further away in order to prevent
inbreeding.
Q: Why do they live
at high elevations?
A: They don't just
live at high elevations. They live where the food is.
Q: What is the scientific name for the mountain lion? How did it get this name? A: Their scientific name is "puma concolor"...check our Mountain Lion home page for the reason...
Q: Is the mountain
lion closely related to other cats?
A: Classification
is related to characteristics of an animal. Look at the similarities
and differences and it's easy to see that they ARE related.
Q: What is the difference
between their paw print and a lynx? Do they behave differently when
they run or stalk and need different feet?
A:
Q:If laws were to
be made against hunting mountain lions, over a period of time would the
population increase too much? Would the mountain lion prey greatly
suffer?
A:
Q:Why is the mountain
lion's tail 1/3 the length of its body?
A: It's all about
balance! They
have to be able to "turn on a dime" when running after prey - and rocks
or snow can be slippery. The long tail helps them balance when running,
climbing and other survival activities.
Q: How do you take
blood samples from the while you're out hiking? What do you do with
the blood? Does it freeze?
A:
Q:What is the difference
in the mountain lion population today as compared to 20 years ago?
Has it decreased?
A:
Q: What do they use
for homes?
A:
Q:How long can they
survive without food or water?
A:
Q: What adaptations
do they have? Why?
A:
Q:When a team of scientists
come upon a mountain lion and it has already been tagged, do they collect
new data on it or leave it alone?
A:
Q: What if the mountain
lion didn't eat meat, or couldn't find prey - would they adapt by changing
their diet and survive?
A:
Q: Without claws -
if they lost them or were born without them - would they adapt or not survive?
Does this ever happen?
A:
Q: Are they the same
or different species than a Florida Panther?
A:
Q: Tell us how they
catch their prey - are they sneaky or just really fast - or both?
A:
Q: Do they consider
us their prey?
A:
Q: How important are
they to the ecosystem? Would it make a big difference if
they weren't part
of the food chain? Why?
A:
Q: Would it affect
us if they became extinct? How?
A:
Q: What should I do
if I come across a mountain lion in the wild?
A:
Q: How do you tell
a male and female footprint apart - are they the same, just a different
size?
A:
Q: Why are mountain
lions scared of people, when it could kill a human if needed?
A:
Q: How does the "tracker"
pick up signals on the collars?
A:
Q: Why don't they
have manes like African lions?
A:
Q: If a mountain lion
is going to have babies and you tranquilize them to make them sleep, will
it effect the babies that aren't born?
A:
Q: Does their fur
get thicker in winter like our cats and dogs at home? Does it grow
at all?
A: