Migratory patterns of mountain lions: Implications for social regulation and conservation

We studied movements of mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the southern Sier ra Nevada of California from 1992-1997. We observed two distinct patterns, which likely represent strategies of mountain lions for coping with variabi lity in abundance of their primary prey, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). S ome mountain lions migrated together, often slowly, following movements of mule deer from winter range toward the summer range of their prey. Those mo untain lions remained together on the eastern scarp of the Sierra Nevada an d overlapped in distribution throughout the year. Other mountain lions exhi bited rapid movements to disjunct summer ranges, on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, shared with mountain Lions that did not occur on their wint er range. Mountain lions that moved more slowly and overlapped in distribut ion had large annual home ranges (95% adaptive kernel; (X) over bar = 817 k m(2)), whereas mountain lions with distinct summer ((X) over bar = 425 km(2 )) and winter ((X) over bar = 476 km(2)) distributions had smaller home ran ges. Such disparate patterns of movement may lead to difficulties in sampli ng population size for mountains lions. Moreover, maintaining corridors tha t would allow for both patterns of movement may be critical for the conserv ation of these large felids. Finally, extensive overlap in the distribution of mountain lions, especially the association of one group of individuals on winter range and another on summer range for mountain lions with disjunc t distributions, indicates a more flexible social system than previously de scribed.