Author: Noor Al-Samarrai / Source: Atlas Obscura
A male elk can weigh in at 700 pounds or more—over three times the size of a male puma. Yet pumas—also known as mountain lions—are extraordinarily strong and crafty, and can take down large game, such as elk and mule deer, that they can’t possibly eat on their own.
We’re not supposed to bite off more than we can chew, but the puma’s habit of doing just that can be an ecological boon. In addition to providing food for scavengers such as bears, foxes, and birds, their leftovers provide a windfall for hundreds of beetle species.“Most of the focus around mountain lions is typically related to state management objectives,” says Josh Barry, a graduate researcher with Panthera, a global wildcat conservation organization that conducted a study, led by puma researcher Mark Elbroch, examining the impact of puma hunting habits. Researchers in places such as preserves are typically asked to document the prey killed by the big cats report back to the state management offices. “With this research in particular, Mark thought, why not ask questions while we’re at it, as opposed to just recording the kills,” Barry says.
In previous studies, Elbroch had already documented dozens of large vertebrates—wolves, foxes, black and grizzly bears—that feed on carrion left by pumas. He also grew interested in the insect populations attracted by their kills….
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