The mountain lions of Greater Los Angeles are becoming more active at night to cope with humans hiking, cycling and jogging in their habitat.
A female mountain lion named “P65” with her kittens in Greater Los Angeles. (Image credit: © National Park Service)
Mountain lions are prowling Greater Los Angeles at night to avoid humans exercising on their mountains, a new study finds.
The human population of Greater Los Angeles is increasingly using mountain lion (Puma concolor) territory for recreational activities such as hiking, running and cycling. That puts the mountain lions in a tough spot — so they’re changing their behavior.
Mountain lions, also known as pumas or cougars, are naturally most active during dusk and dawn, but in places where humans engage in recreational activities, the cats now favor nighttime hours, according to the study, published Nov. 15 in the journal Biological Conservation.
“This flexibility we see in mountain lion activity is what allows us to share these natural areas together,” study lead author Ellie Bolas, a doctoral candidate studying mountain lions and mule deer at the University of California, Davis, said in a statement. “Mountain lions are doing the work so that coexistence can happen.”
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Bolas and her colleagues fitted GPS collars to 22 mountain lions living in and around the Santa Monica Mountains between 2011 and 2018. They then compared mountain lions’ activity with human recreational activity registered on the online platform Strava, which enables users to track their physical exercise.
The researchers found that mountain lions living in areas with increased recreational activity shifted the timing of their activities from dawn to night — when human activity was at its lowest, according to the study. This suggests they adapted to avoid people.