Mountain lions reign as apex predators across much of North and South America, but even these powerful cats face threats from other animals. While adult mountain lions (Puma concolor) rarely become prey, cubs, injured adults, and weak individuals remain vulnerable to larger predators and competitors.
Understanding what animals eat mountain lions reveals the complex dynamics at the top of the food chain, where territorial disputes, competition for resources, and opportunistic predation shape survival.
You’ll discover that being an apex predator doesn’t guarantee safety—these magnificent cats must navigate a dangerous world where bears, wolves, and even other mountain lions pose serious threats to their survival.
1. Humans
Humans represent the most significant threat to mountain lion populations worldwide. Unlike natural predators, human impact extends far beyond direct killing to encompass habitat destruction, vehicle collisions, and systematic hunting programs that affect these big cats across their entire range.
Sport hunting remains legal and actively practiced in many western states including Colorado, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Hunters pursue mountain lions with specially trained dogs that track and tree the cats, allowing hunters to approach for a clear shot. Annual harvest limits and regulated hunting seasons aim to control populations, though critics argue these practices are unnecessary for effective wildlife management.
Important Note: Between 1890 and 1970, government predator control programs killed thousands of mountain lions. These anti-predator campaigns nearly eliminated mountain lions from their eastern range, with the eastern cougar subspecies declared officially extinct in 2011.
Historical persecution devastated mountain lion populations throughout the 20th century. Ranchers and farmers targeted these cats to protect livestock, while government agencies encouraged eradication efforts. By the 1960s-1970s, some states like California banned sport hunting, but recovery has been slow and uneven across their range.
Vehicle collisions have emerged as a major mortality source as human development expands into mountain lion habitat. Roads fragment territories and force cats to cross dangerous highways when hunting or seeking mates. Urban expansion pushes mountain lions into closer contact with humans, creating conflicts that often end with the cat being killed.
Modern threats include:
- Regulated hunting: Special licenses and tags required, but thousands harvested annually
- Livestock conflicts: Ranchers kill mountain lions perceived as threats to cattle and sheep
- Habitat loss: Development destroys prey habitat and forces cats into marginal areas
- Vehicle strikes: Road mortality increases as highways bisect mountain lion territories
- Trophy value: Mountain lions hunted for their considerable value as trophies
Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi), a mountain lion subspecies, remain listed as endangered with fewer than 200 individuals surviving. This critically small population faces genetic problems, habitat loss, and vehicle mortality that threatens their long-term survival. Conservation efforts focus on protecting habitat corridors and reducing road deaths.
The relationship between humans and mountain lions remains complex. While attacks on humans are extremely rare—fewer than 30 documented fatalities in North America since 1868—fear and misunderstanding fuel continued persecution. Mountain lions attack humans more rarely than lightning strikes people, yet these isolated incidents generate disproportionate fear and calls for removal.
2. Wolves
Wolves (Canis lupus) pose a serious threat to mountain lions where their territories overlap, particularly in the northern Rocky Mountains and parts of Canada. These pack hunters don’t typically prey on mountain lions for food, but territorial conflicts and competition for prey create deadly encounters.
Pack dynamics give wolves a significant advantage over solitary mountain lions. A coordinated wolf pack can surround, harass, and ultimately kill a mountain lion through sustained attacks. Wolves hunt cooperatively, with pack members taking turns pursuing and exhausting their target. This teamwork proves especially effective against mountain lions caught in open terrain without escape routes.
Pro Tip: Mountain lions avoid areas with high wolf density by adjusting their territory boundaries and activity patterns, demonstrating that the mere presence of wolves significantly impacts mountain lion behavior and habitat use.
Research from Yellowstone National Park shows that wolf reintroduction in 1995 altered mountain lion distribution and behavior. Mountain lions shifted to rockier, steeper terrain where wolves hunt less effectively. This displacement forced cats into marginal habitats with reduced prey availability, indirectly impacting their survival and reproductive success.
| Wolf Pack Advantage | Impact on Mountain Lions |
|---|---|
| Pack coordination | Overcomes solitary cat defense |
| Endurance hunting | Exhausts mountain lions over time |
| Numerical superiority | 6-10 wolves vs. 1 mountain lion |
| Territorial aggression | Kills competitors rather than prey |
Wolves rarely eat mountain lions they kill. Instead, these fatalities serve to eliminate competition for deer, elk, and other shared prey species. Both predators target the same ungulate populations, creating intense rivalry for limited food resources. Wolves protect their kills aggressively, and mountain lions attempting to scavenge or defend their own kills risk fatal confrontations.
The competitive relationship intensifies during winter when prey becomes scarce. Deep snow conditions favor wolves with their long legs and pack hunting strategies, while mountain lions struggle more in these conditions. Cubs and subadult mountain lions face the highest risk, lacking the experience and size to avoid or survive wolf encounters.
3. Grizzly Bears
Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) stand among the few predators capable of killing adult mountain lions in direct confrontations. These massive carnivores possess overwhelming size, strength, and aggression that make them formidable opponents for even the most powerful cats.
Adult male grizzlies can weigh 400-800 pounds, dwarfing mountain lions that typically weigh 110-220 pounds. This extreme size difference translates to immense power advantages. Grizzlies deliver bone-crushing blows with their massive paws, which can measure 5 inches across with claws extending 2-4 inches. A single swipe can inflict devastating injuries or kill a mountain lion instantly.
Encounters between these species typically occur at kill sites where competition for food sparks conflict. Grizzly bears routinely steal mountain lion kills through kleptoparasitism, using their dominance to claim carcasses. Mountain lions that attempt to defend their prey face serious injury or death when confronting an aggressive grizzly.
Key Insight: In regions with high grizzly bear populations, mountain lions lose the vast majority of their kills to bears between April and December when bears are most active, forcing cats to hunt more frequently to meet their nutritional needs.
A remarkable 2019 video from British Columbia captured a massive grizzly bear chasing a full-grown mountain lion up a tree. The footage demonstrates the raw power and aggression grizzlies display toward mountain lions, treating them as both competitors and potential prey. While the mountain lion escaped by climbing beyond the bear’s reach, such encounters illustrate the constant threat bears pose.
Grizzly predation focuses heavily on mountain lion cubs and juveniles. Female mountain lions move their cubs to new den sites every few weeks specifically to protect them from predators like bears. Despite these precautions, bears locate dens through their exceptional sense of smell and kill cubs when opportunities arise.
The predation dynamics shift seasonally:
- Spring emergence: Hungry bears leaving hibernation actively seek any available protein
- Summer abundance: Competition lessens as natural prey becomes more available
- Fall hyperphagia: Bears entering pre-hibernation feeding frenzy become more aggressive
- Winter denning: Bears hibernate, reducing threat to mountain lions
Territory overlap proves especially dangerous in areas offering rich prey populations. Both species converge on locations with high deer densities, increasing encounter rates. Mountain lions must remain constantly vigilant, abandoning kills when bears approach rather than risking confrontation.
4. Black Bears
Black bears (Ursus americanus) interact with mountain lions through complex relationships involving competition, predation, and kleptoparasitism. While less aggressive than grizzlies, black bears still pose significant threats, particularly to mountain lion cubs.
Adult black bears typically weigh 200-600 pounds, giving them a substantial size advantage over most mountain lions. However, black bear behavior differs markedly from grizzlies. Black bears are generally more timid and less likely to directly confront adult mountain lions. Instead, their impact comes primarily through cub predation and food theft.
Common Mistake: Assuming black bears actively hunt mountain lions—in reality, most black bear-mountain lion interactions involve bears stealing kills rather than attacking the cats themselves.
Female mountain lions with cubs face the greatest challenges from black bears. Cubs exploring outside dens become vulnerable to patrolling bears that consume them opportunistically. Black bears excel at locating hidden prey through their keen sense of smell, making concealed mountain lion dens surprisingly vulnerable despite the mother’s protective efforts.
Research shows black bears are usually 1.8 to 2 inches between upper and lower canines, with some smaller bears overlapping with larger mountain lions in bite dimensions. However, black bears typically attack from the back of the head and neck, and it’s exceedingly rare for black bears to capture healthy adult deer, suggesting most bear-scavenged kills were stolen rather than made.
The relationship between these species varies by region and food availability. In areas with high black bear densities—such as parts of California with among the world’s highest concentrations—mountain lions experience massive food loss. Black bears steal deer carcasses that mountain lions cached for later consumption, forcing cats to hunt more frequently.
Behavioral patterns show interesting dynamics:
- Black bears open mountain lion “latrines” and eat lion scat, similar to some domestic dogs consuming cat feces
- Bears defecate next to their beds without covering, unlike mountain lions that bury their waste
- Bears make no effort to hide from mountain lions, relying on size intimidation
- Mountain lions typically flee from bear confrontations rather than fighting
Seasonal activity patterns create varying threat levels. Between April and December when black bears are most active, mountain lions in bear-dense regions lose almost every kill. This consistent food theft creates immense pressure on mountain lion populations, requiring them to kill deer more frequently than in bear-free areas.
5. Other Mountain Lions
Mountain lions killing and sometimes eating other mountain lions represents one of the most significant mortality sources for these big cats. Territorial disputes, infanticide, and cannibalism occur regularly, driven by competition for space, resources, and mating opportunities.
Adult male mountain lions fiercely defend territories ranging from 25-40 square miles, while females maintain smaller ranges of 5-20 square miles. These territories are marked through urine spraying on scratch piles of leaves, grass, or pine needles, and by clawing trees. When another lion crosses these boundaries, violent confrontations often result.
Territorial conflicts between resident males and intruding males frequently end in death. The resident male’s territorial investment drives extreme aggression—he will fight to the death if necessary to maintain his space and access to females. Younger males attempting to establish territories face the highest mortality, with many killed by larger, established males before securing their own ranges.
Pro Tip: Young male mountain lions dispersing from their birth territories may travel 20-40 miles or more to find unoccupied space, and this dispersal period represents the most dangerous time in their lives.
Infanticide represents another form of intraspecific killing. Adult males sometimes kill cubs they did not father, bringing the female back into estrus sooner and allowing the infanticidal male to sire the next litter. This reproductive strategy benefits the male’s genetic success but devastates individual females who lose months of parental investment.
Female mountain lions combat infanticide through several strategies:
- Moving cubs to new den sites every few weeks to avoid detection
- Raising cubs in remote, difficult-to-access terrain
- Defending cubs aggressively despite size disadvantages
- Timing reproduction to coordinate with periods of prey abundance
Cannibalism occurs under specific circumstances, particularly during food scarcity. Adult mountain lions have been documented eating other adult mountain lions after killing them in territorial disputes. Cubs killed by adults may also be consumed, though this occurs less predictably than with prey animals.
The solitary nature of mountain lions intensifies these conflicts. Unlike social cats such as lions that recognize pride members, mountain lions view virtually all other adults as threats or competitors. Only breeding pairs temporarily tolerate each other during the 3-10 day mating period. Mothers tolerate their offspring until age 15-24 months when they forcibly drive them away.
Competitive dynamics vary by sex and age:
| Category | Risk Level | Primary Threat |
|---|---|---|
| Adult males | High | Other territorial males |
| Adult females | Moderate | Males during cub-rearing |
| Subadults | Very high | All adult males, some females |
| Cubs | Extreme | Infanticidal males, competing females |
Research indicates that mountain lions even eat other mountain lion subspecies when ranges overlap. In areas where different genetic populations meet, larger individuals may kill and consume smaller ones, treating them as prey rather than competitors. This behavior demonstrates the intense resource competition driving intraspecific violence.
6. Jaguars
Jaguars (Panthera onca) represent the only big cats capable of regularly killing mountain lions where their ranges overlap in Central and South America. As the largest cat species in the Americas, jaguars possess physical advantages that make them dominant over mountain lions in direct confrontations.
Adult male jaguars weigh 120-250 pounds, with some individuals exceeding 300 pounds. While the largest male mountain lions approach similar weights, jaguars possess stockier, more muscular builds optimized for power. Jaguars have the strongest bite force relative to size of any big cat, capable of crushing skulls and penetrating turtle shells—adaptations that prove deadly when confronting mountain lions.
Important Note: Encounters between jaguars and mountain lions remain relatively rare due to limited range overlap, but where they coexist, jaguars dominate as the apex predator, forcing mountain lions into subordinate ecological roles.
Geographic distribution creates limited but significant overlap zones. Jaguars primarily inhabit tropical and subtropical forests of Central and South America, while mountain lions range from Canada to Patagonia. The overlap occurs mainly in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America where habitat conditions suit both species.
In shared territories, jaguars claim prime hunting areas near water sources and dense forest, relegating mountain lions to marginal habitats. This competitive displacement demonstrates the jaguar’s dominance. Mountain lions adjust their activity patterns and habitat use to avoid encounters, hunting in areas and at times when jaguars are less active.
Predation typically involves jaguars killing mountain lions during territorial disputes or food competition. Jaguars are less likely to tolerate other large predators than mountain lions are, displaying more aggressive territorial behavior. When a jaguar encounters a mountain lion at a kill site or in disputed territory, the jaguar’s superior size and bite force usually prove decisive.
Hunting strategies differ significantly between these cats. Jaguars employ a distinctive killing method—a powerful bite to the skull that penetrates the brain, unlike mountain lions that target the neck. This technique works devastatingly well against mountain lions caught by surprise. Jaguars’ powerful jaws can crack a mountain lion’s skull with a single bite.
Historical accounts and camera trap evidence document jaguar-mountain lion interactions:
- Jaguars displace mountain lions from optimal hunting territories
- Mountain lions abandon kills when jaguars approach
- Adult jaguars have been photographed near dead mountain lions
- Indigenous peoples report jaguars killing mountain lions in contested areas
The competitive relationship affects prey populations and ecosystem dynamics. Both species hunt deer, peccaries, and smaller mammals. Jaguars’ dominance means they claim first access to prey-rich areas, potentially limiting mountain lion reproductive success and population density in overlap zones.
7. Scavengers
Scavengers play a unique role in mountain lion mortality, feeding on already-dead carcasses rather than actively hunting live cats. Coyotes (Canis latrans), vultures, ravens, and other opportunistic feeders regularly consume mountain lion remains, though they rarely cause the initial death.
Coyotes represent the most common mammalian scavengers at mountain lion carcasses. These adaptable canids locate dead mountain lions through their excellent sense of smell and keen observation of vulture activity. While coyotes lack the size and power to kill healthy adult mountain lions—weighing only 20-50 pounds compared to mountain lions’ 110-220 pounds—they quickly exploit available carrion.
Key Insight: The scavenging relationship works both ways—coyotes feed on dead mountain lions, but mountain lions also prey on live coyotes, creating a complex predator-prey-scavenger dynamic between these species.
Vultures serve as primary avian scavengers, with turkey vultures and black vultures being most common in mountain lion range. These birds soar at high altitudes scanning for carcasses, using their exceptional vision to spot dead animals from miles away. Turkey vultures also employ acute smell to locate remains hidden beneath vegetation.
Ravens and crows contribute to scavenging efforts, often arriving first at carcasses due to their widespread distribution and bold behavior. These intelligent corvids alert other scavengers through their calls and activity, essentially advertising food sources to the broader scavenging community.
The scavenging process follows predictable patterns:
- Initial detection: Vultures or ravens spot the carcass from above
- Congregation: Scavenger activity attracts additional species
- Hierarchical feeding: Larger scavengers dominate prime feeding opportunities
- Progressive consumption: Carcass consumed over days to weeks depending on size
Scavenging intensity depends on several factors including carcass location, season, and scavenger population density. Mountain lions that die in open areas attract scavengers quickly, while those dying in dense cover may remain undiscovered longer. Winter conditions slow decomposition, extending the period when scavengers can access meat.
Additional scavenger species contributing to mountain lion carcass consumption include:
- Bobcats: Feed cautiously on larger carnivore remains
- Foxes: Scavenge smaller portions when larger species permit
- Eagles: Golden and bald eagles tear at exposed flesh
- Opossums: Nocturnal scavengers cleaning remaining scraps
- Insects: Beetles, flies, and larvae process final remains
The scavenging process provides critical ecosystem services. Scavengers rapidly break down carcasses that would otherwise decompose slowly, recycling nutrients back into the environment. This nutrient cycling benefits plant growth and soil health, demonstrating how even apex predator mortality contributes to ecosystem function.
Notably, scavengers sometimes feed on mountain lions killed by other predators. When grizzly bears, wolves, or other mountain lions kill cats, scavengers clean up remains left behind. This creates indirect mortality where the killing predator consumes portions of the carcass but scavengers finish the rest.
Mountain lions occupy a precarious position as apex predators vulnerable to multiple threats. While they dominate most prey species, larger predators, territorial conflicts, and human activities create constant survival challenges.
Understanding these threats reveals the complex balance maintaining mountain lion populations and highlights the importance of conservation efforts to protect these magnificent cats.
Despite their power and hunting prowess, mountain lions remain part of intricate food webs where even apex predators face mortality from above, below, and within their own species.
