THE PUMA, OR MOUNTAIN LION

Infectivity of lion and puma lentiviruses for domestic cats.

Infection of domestic cats with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) causes progressive immunological deterioration similar to that caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Lentiviruses related to but phylogenetically distinct from FIV have been detected in several non-domestic feline species. Serological cross-reactivity of these viruses raises the question as to whether inter-species tran...

Evolution of puma lentivirus in bobcats (Lynx rufus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) in North America.

Mountain lions (Puma concolor) throughout North and South America are infected with puma lentivirus clade B (PLVB). A second, highly divergent lentiviral clade, PLVA, infects mountain lions in southern California and Florida. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) in these two geographic regions are also infected with PLVA, and to date, this is the only strain of lentivirus identified in bobcats. We sequenced fu...

Primary pneumonic plague contracted from a mountain lion carcass.

BACKGROUND Primary pneumonic plague is a rare but often fatal form of Yersinia pestis infection that results from direct inhalation of bacteria and is potentially transmissible from person to person. We describe a case of primary pneumonic plague in a wildlife biologist who was found deceased in his residence 1 week after conducting a necropsy on a mountain lion. METHODS To determine cause of...

A Recent Record of Mountain Lion in Nebraska

Birth Timing for Mountain Lions (Puma concolor); Testing the Prey Availability Hypothesis

We investigated potential advantages in birth timing for mountain lion (Puma concolor) cubs. We examined cub body mass, survival, and age of natal dispersal in relation to specific timing of birth. We also investigated the role of maternal age relative to timing of births. We captured mountain lion cubs while in the natal den to determine birth date, which allowed for precise estimates of the p...