The mountain lions of Greater Los Angeles are adapting to human presence by becoming more nocturnal. With increasing numbers of people hiking, cycling, and jogging through their natural habitat, these elusive predators are shifting their activity to nighttime. This change helps them avoid human encounters, allowing them to navigate their environment with less disruption and stress.
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Mountain Lions in Los Angeles: Adapting to the Night to Avoid Humans
Mountain lions in Greater Los Angeles are adapting to the city’s growing human presence by prowling the hills and mountains at night to avoid encounters with people, according to a new study. With residents increasingly using these natural areas for activities like hiking, running, and cycling, these majestic predators are finding themselves forced to change their behavior.
Naturally, mountain lions—also known as pumas or cougars—are most active during dusk and dawn. However, in areas where human recreational activities peak during these times, the big cats are now favoring the nighttime hours, as detailed in the study published on Nov. 15 in Biological Conservation.
“This flexibility we see in mountain lion activity is what allows us to share these natural areas together,” explained Ellie Bolas, the study’s lead author and a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Davis. “Mountain lions are doing the work so that coexistence can happen.”
To understand this behavioral shift, Bolas and her research team fitted GPS collars to 22 mountain lions living in and around the Santa Monica Mountains from 2011 to 2018. They compared the movement data of the lions with human activity logs recorded on Strava, an online platform that tracks users’ recreational activities.
The study revealed that in areas with heightened human activity, mountain lions significantly adjusted their behavior by shifting their activity patterns from dawn to nighttime, when human presence was at its lowest. This behavioral change indicates the animals are adapting strategically to minimize interactions with people.
These findings highlight the remarkable adaptability of mountain lions, showcasing their ability to modify their routines to coexist with humans. It also underscores the importance of understanding and preserving shared natural spaces to ensure the survival of wildlife amidst urban expansion.
P-22 in 2019, was captured to replace battery in GPS collar. He spent much of his relatively long life in urban Griffith Park. (Image credit: Santa Monica Mtns Nat Rec Areaa)
These findings align with earlier research suggesting that mammals worldwide are becoming more nocturnal to adapt to human activities. Predators like mountain lions, in particular, appear to go to great lengths to avoid humans.
A 2019 study published in Ecology Letters revealed that even the sound of human voices is enough to scare mountain lions, significantly reducing their activity. This reaction is so pronounced that the impact of human voices mimics the ecological effect of removing these predators from the environment entirely. Given the historical persecution of mountain lions by humans, their instinctive fear of our species is well-founded.
Mountain lions in the Los Angeles area already face numerous challenges, including busy roadways, frequent wildfires, exposure to rodenticides, low genetic diversity, and fragmented habitats. According to the study, recreational activities represent an additional stressor for these animals.
“Even something as innocuous as recreation can add to these other stressors we’re bringing into their lives, potentially by altering the amount of energy they have to expend for hunting and other needs,” explained Ellie Bolas, the study’s lead author.
However, Bolas emphasized a sense of optimism, noting the adaptability of mountain lions. “We can feel a sense of optimism that they are flexible in the timing of their activity. Coexistence is happening, and it’s in large part because of what mountain lions are doing,” she said.
This adaptability offers hope for coexistence between humans and wildlife in shared spaces. It also highlights the importance of considering the cumulative impact of human activities on these majestic creatures and working toward strategies that minimize further stressors in their already complex lives.