November 2019 • Nebraskaland 33
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Linsey Blake and I placed a video camera trap near this
kitten while its collared mother was away from the den. If
mom is away, mountain lion kittens often chirp as the video
showed. Not a lot of research exists for mountain lion hearing,
but videos such as this beg questioning whether the mother
cougars' ears are specially tuned to hear the frequencies
being emitted by the kittens' chirps. To the unknowing
human, the chirps seem to be from a bird. See the video at
NebraskalandMagazine.com.
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Male cougars create a small mound using available dirt and
other materials, known as a scrape. This provides an elevated
post for the cat to mark its spot with urine. Scrapes provide
a way for toms to communicate with females, their potential
mates, and to warn other competing or intruding toms of
their presence. Because male lions are so territorial, direct
interactions often result in violence and perhaps death to the
weaker male. Scrapes allow communication and declaration of
territory boundaries without the risk of direct interactions.
