Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about the children's book
The Cat That Changed America by Tony Lee Moral. The Cat That Changed America tells a fictionalized account of
the mountain lion P22 that lives in Griffith Park in downtown Los
Angeles. Even though P22 is a bit of a celebrity in the Los Angeles
area, people outside of Los Angeles were surprised to learn there really is a
mountain lion living in the middle of the city! They wanted to learn
more about P22 and mountain lions in general. In this blog post, I'll be
sharing five fun facts about mountain lions and relating them to P22.
Keep reading to learn more!
Disclosure:
Affiliate links
to Amazon are included in this post.
There are several types of mountain lions.
Panthers, cougars, pumas, and catamounts are subspecies of mountain lions. P22 is a puma.
Mountain lions can be found throughout North and South America.
They are highly adaptable and can live in mountains, woodlands, deserts, and wetlands. Some... like P22... can adapt and live in urban areas.
Mountain lions are strict carnivores.
Deer is their meat of choice, but they will eat small animals when deer aren't available. P22 settled in Griffith Park because he was able to find plenty of food to eat there. It is believed... but not proven... that P22 went hunting in a nearby zoo and ate one of its koala bears. Whoa!
Female mountain lions give birth every two years or so.
Their litters range in size from one to six cubs. The cubs will stay with their mothers for 24 to 26 months. P22 is a male mountain lion, however, and lives alone in Griffith Park... no other mountain lions in the area. Unless he leaves the park in search of a mate, he will not father any cubs.
Mountain lions are a threatened species.
However, some subspecies of mountains are endangered or extinct. The eastern cougar was declared extinct in 2011 and the Florida panther is now 'critically endangered.' Hunting and habitat destruction are the main causes of death for mountain lions. Habitat destruction is one theory as to why P22 claimed his territory in Griffith Park.
To learn more about P22's story, watch this video by National Geographic:
Did you enjoy learning these facts about mountains and the famous
P22? If so, check out these blog posts to learn fun facts about more
animals:
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