Finding a Place to PounceHere’s a program from our archives.ambience: Mountain LionsWe’re listening to the sound of a Mountain Lion. In February, these large cats have moved to the southern face of their mountain habitats, to lie in wait for their wintering prey, the Mule Deer. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Mountain Lions make their home in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico. And according to John Laundr, of Idaho State University, they tend to prefer areas that have a combination of heavily forested and open terrain. Laundr: Mountain lions are more successful at capturing deer in areas between the patches of timber and the open areas. And we think this is because they stalk their prey. And so they have to have the ideal conditions of being able to see the prey, sneak up on ’em and then attack ’em. They can’t do that in the open. They can’t do that as well in the deep forest, but they can do it along the edge of the forest. And so this sets the scene of having areas of different success levels for the mountain lions, which on the other side are different risk levels for the prey. And so, what we’re testing with our research is do both players of the system see this?Dr. Laundr is looking at the relationship between Mountain Lions and their prey, the Mule Deer. And if, as he believes, the animals can perceive the advantages of a particular type of terrain, then his research has widespread applications for the management of wildlife habitats and reserves.Laundr: If you have a habitat that’s too favorable to deer, you can have a lot of deer, but no lions. If you have a habitat that’s too favorable to mountain lions, mountain lions can have a negative impact on their prey populations to the point where it could potentially impact their populations. What becomes important is the configuration of habitat — in trying to provide those elements at a right balance.We’ve been listening to a program from our archives. If you want to hear more, check out our podcast.
MOUNTAIN LION: Habitat
Dr. John Laundr is looking at the dynamics of the predator/prey relationship between Mountain Lions and Mule Deer.
Air Date:02/12/1998
Scientist:
Transcript:
Finding a Place to PounceHere's a program from our archives.ambience: Mountain LionsWe're listening to the sound of a Mountain Lion. In February, these large cats have moved to the southern face of their mountain habitats, to lie in wait for their wintering prey, the Mule Deer. I'm Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Mountain Lions make their home in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States, as well as in Canada and Mexico. And according to John Laundr, of Idaho State University, they tend to prefer areas that have a combination of heavily forested and open terrain. Laundr: Mountain lions are more successful at capturing deer in areas between the patches of timber and the open areas. And we think this is because they stalk their prey. And so they have to have the ideal conditions of being able to see the prey, sneak up on 'em and then attack 'em. They can't do that in the open. They can't do that as well in the deep forest, but they can do it along the edge of the forest. And so this sets the scene of having areas of different success levels for the mountain lions, which on the other side are different risk levels for the prey. And so, what we're testing with our research is do both players of the system see this?Dr. Laundr is looking at the relationship between Mountain Lions and their prey, the Mule Deer. And if, as he believes, the animals can perceive the advantages of a particular type of terrain, then his research has widespread applications for the management of wildlife habitats and reserves.Laundr: If you have a habitat that's too favorable to deer, you can have a lot of deer, but no lions. If you have a habitat that's too favorable to mountain lions, mountain lions can have a negative impact on their prey populations to the point where it could potentially impact their populations. What becomes important is the configuration of habitat -- in trying to provide those elements at a right balance.We've been listening to a program from our archives. If you want to hear more, check out our podcast.