Even though the bear is much larger and more formidable, the mountain lion isn’t without any skills for both offense and defense. The bear approaches the female mountain lions, moving in its characteristic lumbering strides. The mountain lion stands her ground, hitting the bear’s head and face with her sharp claws. “Bears and mountain lions are top predators in the North American wilderness,” the narrator says.” They are feared, especially by hikers. Most experienced hikers know to keep clear of wild animal encounters. Not only can they be unpredictable, but getting in between two animals fighting can be very, very dangerous. At one time, humans hunted mountain lions to keep them from attacking livestock. Now, this is illegal and the mountain lion population is slowly starting to come back from the risk of extinction. Mountain lions do not generally go after brown bears. The reverse is also true. Both are formidable predators but prefer to hunt smaller and easier prey. The exception to this is when brown bears try to get vulnerable mountain lion cubs. In this case, the mother mountain lion is not about to let that happen.
Don’t Mess With Mama Mountain Lion
Mama bears get a reputation as fiercely protective of their young, which is very deserved. Many bear attacks involve mother bears that feel their cubs are threatened. This time, it is actually the female mountain lion that is acting to protect her cubs. “In this video, the cougar is defending her cub and is able to sink her fangs deep into the adult brown bear,” says the narrator. The video cuts to footage of the cub, who looks on as his mama protects him from the would-be predator. The mountain lion bites the bear’s neck, a weak point that certainly made the bear think twice before engaging with her again. This is a short clip so we don’t get to see what happens as the bear moves away. We hope that the mama mountain lion and her cub were able to make it away. They are certainly more agile and faster than a large brown bear, especially one that had just suffered an injury. Mountain lions can run up to 50 miles per hour, although the mother and her cub would have moved slower.
Up Next:
11 Incredible Mountain Lion FactsAn Absolutely Gigantic Moose Makes These Grizzlies Look Like Teddy BearsWatch A Powerful Mountain Lion Suspiciously Interrogate Their Own Reflection
