Observations of Reproduction in Mountain Lions from Nebraska

Wilson, S. G.; Hoffman, James C.; Genoways, Hugh H.

doi:10.3398/064.070.0211

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Large carnivores are capable of recolonizing areas previously thought to be unsuitable or too isolated or fragmented to maintain viable populations (Hoffman & Genoways, 2005; Mladenoff et al, 2009), and therefore the amount of suitable habitat predicted by the models may be too conservative in some areas. For example, the Pine Ridge area of Nebraska sustains a breeding population of cougars (Wilson et al, 2010) but is too fragmented to be designated a contiguous habitat tract by the model; such inaccuracy also occurs in the black bear habitat model, for eastern Tennessee. Despite localized errors, the habitat models were robust overall and should prove to be useful predictors of potential habitat for black bears, cougars and wolves on a large scale.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suitable habitat for recolonizing large carnivores in the midwestern USA

Smith

Nielsen

Hellgren

2015

Oryx

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Large carnivores are recolonizing parts of North America and Europe as a result of modern management and conservation policy. In the midwestern USA, black bears Ursus americanus, cougars Puma concolor and grey wolves Canis lupus have the potential to recolonize provided there is suitable habitat. Understanding where large carnivores may become re-established will prepare resource professionals for the inevitable ecosystem effects and potential human–carnivore conflicts associated with these species. We developed individual and combined models of suitable habitat for black bears, cougars and wolves in 18 midwestern states, using geospatial data, expert-opinion surveys, and multi-criteria evaluation. Large, contiguous areas of suitable habitat comprised 35, 21 and 13% of the study region for wolves, bears and cougars, respectively. Approximately 12% of the region was considered suitable for all three species. Arkansas, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin had the highest proportions (> 40%) of suitable habitat for black bears; Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin had the highest proportions (≥ 20%) of suitable habitat for cougars; and only in four states in the study region was < 29% of land suitable wolf habitat. Models performed well when validated by comparing suitability values of independent sets of known carnivore locations to those of random locations. Contiguous areas of suitable habitat typically spanned multiple states, thus coordination across boundaries and among agencies will be vital to successful conservation of these species. Our models highlight differences in habitat requirements and geographical distribution of potential habitat among these carnivores, as well as areas vital to their persistence in the Midwest.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Suitable habitat for recolonizing large carnivores in the midwestern USA

Smith

Nielsen

Hellgren

2015

Oryx

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“…Those populations have increased and new breeding populations have been documented in the Black Hills of South Dakota since the 1970s and southwest North Dakota since the 1990s (Cougar Network 2010). Recent evidence suggests that cougars are now breeding in northwest Nebraska (Wilson, Hoffman, & Genoways 2010), and 8% of the Midwest region is comprised of highly suitable habitat for cougars (Larue 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracking large carnivore dispersal using isotopic clues in claws: an application to cougars across the Great Plains

et al. 2011

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Summary1. Cougar (Puma concolor) populations, like other large carnivores, have increased during recent decades and may be recolonizing their former ranges in Midwestern North America. The dispersal routes taken by these animals from established populations are unknown and insight into these movements would facilitate their conservation and management. 2. We inferred the origin and migration route of four dispersing cougars using stable hydrogen (dD) and carbon (d 13 C) isotope values along one of their claws. We compared isotopic variations within claws to regional and large-scale isoscapes of dD and d 13C values in prey species. Using a likelihood-based assignment approach, we predicted the most likely dispersal route of each cougar (among several least-cost dispersal paths to potential source populations) in a chronological sequence dating back from its final location. 3. Our model predicted the origin of a radio-collared short-distance disperser and inferences about the most likely dispersal corridors for two long-distance dispersers matched reported information from re-sighting events and genetic investigations. 4. Insights about the most likely migration corridors may help identify critical areas and guide future conservation efforts of cougars and other large carnivores. We encourage managers to extend regional isoscapes based on sedentary prey species as they prove to be valuable tools in isotopic tracking of long-distance migration. 5. Our isotopic approach may be extended to other metabolically inert tissues that grow continuously, to investigate dispersal paths of species of interest, providing that individuals disperse across known isotopically structured landscapes.

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“…Animals apparently sharing DNA from the Black Hills have been found in Missouri (Conlee ), Tennessee (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency ), Kentucky (Pilgrim and Schwartz ), Minnesota (J. D. Erb, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, personal communication), and Connecticut (Hawley et al ), USA. Finally, recently established populations in North Dakota and Nebraska, USA, were likely founded by immigrant subadults from the Black Hills (Genoways and Freeman , Hoffman and Genoways , Fecske , Wilson et al ) via stepping‐stone dispersal (LaRue et al ) in a pattern consistent with density dependence in cougar populations (Sunquist and Sunquist , Pierce and Bleich ). Modeling studies also suggest that the Midwest contains corridors for dispersal (LaRue and Nielsen , Henaux et al ) and large patches of habitat suitable for cougars (LaRue and Nielsen , O'Neil et al , Smith et al ) and that cougars are likely to recolonize the region within 25 years (LaRue and Nielsen ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

“…In 2004, a subadult male originally radio-collared in the Black Hills was found in northern Oklahoma, USA, representing at the time the longest dispersal distance recorded by a cougar (Thompson and Jenks 2005 Hawley et al 2016), USA. Finally, recently established populations in North Dakota and Nebraska, USA, were likely founded by immigrant subadults from the Black Hills (Genoways and Freeman 1996, Hoffman and Genoways 2005, Fecske 2008, Wilson et al 2010) via stepping-stone dispersal (LaRue et al 2012) in a pattern consistent with density dependence in cougar populations (Sunquist andSunquist 2002, Pierce andBleich 2003). Modeling studies also suggest that the Midwest contains corridors for dispersal Nielsen 2008, Henaux et al 2011) and large patches of habitat suitable for cougars , O'Neil et al 2014) and that cougars are likely to recolonize the region within 25 years (LaRue and Nielsen 2016).…”

mentioning

confidence: 93%

Increases in Midwestern cougars despite harvest in a source population

2019

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Although cougars (Puma concolor) appear to be recolonizing the midwestern United States, there is concern that hunting in source populations (primarily the Black Hills, SD and WY, USA) may prevent cougars from dispersing eastward. We use carcass data of cougars (n =147 carcasses at known locations, of which 111 were of known sex) in the Midwest collected during 1990–2015 to quantify whether cougar hunting in the Black Hills affected cougar distribution and presence in the Midwest. We separated carcass data into 2 time periods: before hunting in the Black Hills (i.e., pre‐hunt; 1990–2004) and after hunting (i.e., post‐hunt; 2005–2015). We hypothesized that if hunting prevented dispersal into the Midwest, cougar distribution would be random and their presence less, relative to the pre‐hunt period. We also were interested in sex ratios of carcasses over time, given the importance of that demographic metric to the potential establishment of viable populations. During the pre‐hunt period, 25 carcasses were dispersed randomly in the Midwest. During the post‐hunt period, we found nearly 4 times the number of carcasses in the Midwest (n = 86), carcasses were significantly clustered, and a greater percentage of carcasses were female (pre‐hunt n = 6 [24%]; post‐hunt n = 27 [31%]). Relative to the pre‐hunt period, we observed a 460‐km northward shift in the directional distribution of carcass locations during the post‐hunt period. These findings do not support the idea that hunting in the Black Hills has prevented cougar presence from increasing in the Midwest. Alternatively, we suggest the potential for immigration from cougar populations farther to the west as an explanation for the increase in cougar presence (particularly females) confirmed after the initiation of cougar hunting in the Black Hills. © 2019 The Wildlife Society.

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Observations of Reproduction in Mountain Lions from Nebraska

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

Suitable habitat for recolonizing large carnivores in the midwestern USA

Suitable habitat for recolonizing large carnivores in the midwestern USA

Tracking large carnivore dispersal using isotopic clues in claws: an application to cougars across the Great Plains

Increases in Midwestern cougars despite harvest in a source population

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