AGFC analyzes lion DNA, and found it came from...

[Quillback]

DNA reveals dead mountain lion’s origin

LITTLE ROCK – A mountain lion that was killed in November by a deer hunter east of Hermitage in Bradley County is almost certainly the same mountain lion that was sighted in southern Marion County in September. In this case, the probability of these two mountain lions with the same genetic profile is one in 182 trillion.

AGFC biologists received the DNA results this week from the Wildlife Genetics Laboratory in Missoula, Montana. The DNA revealed that the mountain lion most likely originated in the Black Hills breeding population of Wyoming and South Dakota, according to the lab results. “The mountain lion traveled from Marion County to Bradley County in about six weeks before it was killed. That shows you how far a mountain lion can travel in a short period,” AGFC Large Carnivore Biologist Myron Means explained.

The lab investigated the potential origin for the mountain lion using the lab’s database which includes mountain lion samples from populations in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and Florida.

The profile obtained from the Bradley County tissue sample matched the hair sample collected from the mountain lion hair found on private land in southern Marion County. The distance between the two areas is about 180 miles. The male mountain lion is a new individual to the lab’s DNA database.

The Bradley County hunter was on private property when he shot the mountain lion and reported the incident to wildlife officers. It was the first time a mountain lion has been killed in Arkansas since 1975 in Logan County.

Mountain lions – also known as pumas and cougars – lived throughout Arkansas until about 1920. The AGFC offered bounties and hired trappers to control predators during 1927-29. At least 255 wolves and 523 bobcats were killed, but no mountain lions were taken.

Nine sightings of mountain lions in Arkansas have been confirmed in the last five years, although a breeding population has not been verified. A number of mountain lion sightings in Missouri, Oklahoma and Louisiana also have been confirmed in recent years.

A mountain lion was killed in Montgomery County in 1949 and another in Ashley County in 1969. In late 1998, a team from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock observed tracks, feces and a deer kill from a free-ranging mountain lion across Hot Spring, Garland and Pulaski counties.

[jdmidwest]

Probably some guy took a female out west and had her bread. Then came back to Ark and started a herd. One got loose and had some bad DNA. Bet they did not think about that.

[Feathers and Fins]

I heard a certain Allman Brothers song in my head while reading this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCOiIl7Xu3w

[trythisonemv]

A.mountain lion was killed.on interstate in central Missouri a couple months ago.first event of one being hit by a car in MO history. They are coming home.

[Kayser]

Mountain lions – also known as pumas and cougars – lived throughout Arkansas until about 1920. The AGFC offered bounties and hired trappers to control predators during 1927-29. At least 255 wolves and 523 bobcats were killed, but no mountain lions were taken.

Wait a second, they killed 255 wolves in 3 years in Arkansas, but no mountain lions? I didn't know they were still present in those numbers then. And with that being the case, why isn't there a larger push to reintroduce wolves compared to mountain lions, since they were 1- here more recently, 2- control coyote populations.

This is just curiosity.

[SpoonDog]

Wait a second, they killed 255 wolves in 3 years in Arkansas, but no mountain lions? I didn't know they were still present in those numbers then. And with that being the case, why isn't there a larger push to reintroduce wolves compared to mountain lions, since they were 1- here more recently, 2- control coyote populations.

This is just curiosity.

There is no push to reintroduce mountain lions in the Ozarks- there is no state or federal agency attempting to reintroduce them. Western populations are at carrying capacity, and young males are headed east to establish new territories. Wolves aren't experiencing the same situation.

[Al Agnew]

Back in those days, the people paying bounties weren't too particular about identifying the species. If it was a fairly good sized canid, it was a wolf. This almost certainly included a lot of coyotes and dog/coyote hybrids. It also included red wolves, and in fact probably red wolves made up nearly all the non-coyote "wolves". Few people back then even guessed that red wolves were a different species. Red wolves are a little bigger and a little different in appearance from coyotes, but not as big as gray wolves on average. As I remember, coyotes average around 30 pounds, red wolves 45-60 pounds, and gray wolves 75-140 pounds. It's highly unlikely that gray wolves still existed at all in the Ozarks by then. The red wolves hung on for a couple more decades before dying out. It's believed that they disappeared as much from the coyotes growing in numbers and hybridizing with them as from being killed by people.

It would never work to re-introduce wolves in this part of the country. Unlike cougars, which are very secretive, wolves roam widely, do a lot of howling, and don't hide away in inaccessible places during the day. You'd know it if there were wolves around, and they'd be too easy to find and shoot. It takes some wild country with very, very few people living in it to support wolves, like areas in the West where they are doing well now, or some country with very thick woodlands and few people living in it, like northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

[rFisherk]

Here are pictures of a red wolf and a coyote for comparison. The coyote is the one with its nose to the ground.

[Dan the fisherman]

It would be cool to have wolves reintroduce to the natural state...

[rumrunner]

A.mountain lion was killed.on interstate in central Missouri a couple months ago.first event of one being hit by a car in MO history. They are coming home.

There was one hit just ne of kc a few years ago.by worlds of fun.either i35 or 435 hwy.