Los Angeles mountain lions become nocturnal to avoid humans

Mountain lions prowl Greater Los Angeles at night to avoid humans exercising in their mountains, according to a new study.

The human population of Greater Los Angeles is increasingly using the mountain lion (Puma concolor) territory for recreational activities such as hiking, running and cycling. This puts mountain lions in a difficult situation: they therefore change their behavior.

Mountain lions, also known as pumas or cougars, are naturally most active at dusk and dawn, but in places where humans engage in recreational activities, cats now prefer nighttime hours, according to the study published November 15 in the journal. Biological conservation.

“This flexibility that we see in mountain lion activity is what allows us to share these natural spaces together,” lead author of the study Ellie Bolasa doctoral student studying mountain lions and mule deer at the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. statement. “Mountain lions do the work so that coexistence can take place.”

Bolas and his colleagues fitted GPS collars to 22 mountain lions living in and around the Santa Monica Mountains between 2011 and 2018. They then compared mountain lion activity with human recreational activities recorded on the online platform. Stravawhich allows users to track their physical exercise.

The researchers found that mountain lions living in areas with increased recreational activities shifted the timing of their activities from dawn to night – when human activity was at its lowest, according to the study. This suggests that they have adapted to avoid people.

a mountain lion up close

The P-22 in 2019 was captured to replace the GPS collar battery. He spent much of his relatively long life in the town of Griffith Park. (Image credit: Santa Monica Mtns Nat Rec Areaa)

These results are consistent with previous studies this suggests that mammals around the world are becoming increasingly nocturnal in response to human activities and that predators like pumas will do everything possible to avoid humans.

A 2019 study published in the journal Ecology letters found that the sound of humans speaking was enough to frighten mountain lions and reduce their activity – to the point that our voices had an effect similar to completely eliminating predators from the ecosystem. Humans have always persecuted mountain lions, so this fear of our species is well deserved.

Today, mountain lions living around Los Angeles face many threats, including busy roads, wildfires, exposure to rodenticides, low genetic diversity and fragmented habitat, according to the release. The study authors noted that our recreational activities are another potential stressor for cats.

“Even something as harmless as recreation can add to the other stressors we introduce into their lives, potentially changing the amount of energy they have to expend on hunting and other needs,” Bolas said. “But we can feel a sense of optimism about their flexibility in the timing of their activities. Coexistence is happening, and a lot of it is due to what mountain lions are doing.”

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Los Angeles mountain lions become nocturnal to avoid humans

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Los Angeles mountain lions become nocturnal to avoid humans

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