Published: November 01, 2008 01:41 pm         

Oklahoma State alum talks about mountain lions

Oklahoma State University alumnus Jonathon Jenks presented a slideshow on mountain lions to a packed house Friday afternoon at the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Agricultural Hall.

Jenks, distinguished professor of wildlife and fisheries sciences at South Dakota State University, has spent the past 15 years studying the habitat, biology and behavior of the mountain lion population in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Chip Leslie, wildlife specialist with CASNR Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, said Jenks was his first Ph.D. student and seemed to be an excellent fit to educate students and the community about mountain lions.

"I've been aware of (Jenks') mountain lion work and of his Oklahoma observations," Leslie said. "The big thing was his radio-collared male that was found on the railroad tracks near Red Rock. That’s a connection between his study in South Dakota and OSU."

The male was tracked 662 miles from its starting location in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line to where it was discovered dead next to railroad tracks just south of Red Rock on May 27, 2004.

"When we first started working with the mountain lion, this incredible species, we didn't have much information on it," Jenks said. "We now give presentations to let people know about the animal and spread the information we have been collecting."

Misconceptions about the mountain lion abound, Jenks said. The big cats do not jump out of trees to catch their prey, but they do feed on carrion and are attracted to pet food and garbage. Additionally, the cats are vocal, especially the females who whistle to their young.

The last misconception Jenks said is in regards to the size of the tracks left by a mountain lion.

"Dog and mountain lion tracks are very similar in size," Jenks said. "They are about 3 1/2 inches in length, but the dog track will have impressions left by the anima's toe nails where a mountain lion's track will not, as a result of its retractable claws."

Wolf tracks, which are about five inches in length and have toe nail marks at each toe, as well as the smaller bobcat tracks, about two inches in length, are also often mistaken for mountain lion impressions.

He said he often gets two extremes in his audiences. Individuals have varying reasons as to why they are interested in his study of the mountain lion.

"You go from a person who really hated the critter and wanted them all dead to somebody who wanted to obtain a couple kittens and raise them in their living room" he said.

Leslie said the full auditorium was the most diverse group of individuals he had seen at a presentation. The audience was comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, residents from communities such as Jenks and Perkins, faculty from several OSU colleges as well as veterinarians from around the region who were on campus for a symposium.

Lilia Wall came from Perkins to bring her two sons to the talk.

"David, who is 9 years old, is very interested in animals, especially big cats like mountain lions," she said.

David and his brother Rafael, 6, were especially excited when a record-breaking mountain lion pelt was brought out and displayed following the slide show.

The pelt, 91 inches long from the tip of its nose to end of its tail, came from a mountain lion killed in 1974. The 200-pound lion was the largest mountain lion on record for 17 years and is now the sixth-largest recorded in the Boone and Crockett record books.

The big cat was located in Antimony, Utah, but it was an Oklahoman, a Tree Walker hound named Dan, who was responsible for treeing the record-breaking cat.

Jenks said mountain lions are often confused with dogs, domestic cats and bobcats. The most significant identifying features of the mountain lion include its long tail, solid tan coloring and short haircoat.

Jenks also addressed the rumor voiced by an audience member that the Red Rock mountain lion was part of a group introduced to Oklahoma by state game officials. The reason stated for the reduction was an effort to reduce damage caused by a deer population explosion.

"That is absolutely untrue," Jenks said. "When you look at the difficulty of capturing even a single big cat, along with the manpower and costs involved in transporting the cat to Oklahoma, it is quite prohibitive. Additionally, a mountain lion removed from its area will naturally return to its home base when displaced."

When several audience members voiced concerns about protecting their livestock, Jenks said cattle are not a natural prey for mountain lions, but he still advised several protective measures to take.

Since deer are the most popular prey for the big cats, Jenks said to not only resist the urge to fedd deer but also plant deer discouraging vegetation such as boxwood, forsythia, geraniums and marigolds. He also advised installing outdoor lighting and keeping livestock in barns during the night. Lastly, he reminded people to keep their children close and not let their pets run loose.

The mountain lion is the second largest native cat and tends to be solitary. They are an efficient predator that prefers to do most of its activity at dawn and dusk.

The average lifespan is 10 years, but he said the oldest radio-collared cat is 12.

     

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.