The Yellowstone Cougar Project

When you hear the phrase "Yellowstone predator," what animal first comes to mind?  A wolf?  A bear?  You may not immediately think of the elusive cougar, which is rarely seen by visitors, but a new study is getting ready to uncover some of its secrets.
Cougars, along with wolves, were killed throughout the U.S. as part of the predator removal campaigns in the early 1900s.  Wolves were completely eradicated from Yellowstone and, although cougars were probably eliminated, the species survived in the West. Working in their favor were the large cat's secretive nature and preference for rocky territory where they are difficult to track. Sometime in the 1980s, the survivors re-established themselves in the northern part of Yellowstone and nearby areas of Montana.

DID YOU KNOW? Mountain lion, puma, catamount, and panther are four other names for cougars.

Not long after, in 1995, human intervention restored wolves to their native habitat in Yellowstone. Since then, Greater Yellowstone has been a nearly complete ecosystem, with all of its historic predators intact.
So what does that mean for the Park and surrounding area, with wolves, cougars and bears, as well as several smaller carnivores potentially competing with each other for territory and prey?  How might this predator diversity affect the entire food chain?
Those are some of  the questions the Yellowstone Cougar Project is hoping to answer.  Following an eight-year gap in research on cougars, this new study began last winter to monitor the dynamics and ecological influence of Yellowstone’s charismatic and mysterious big cat, as well as the effects of predator diversity.

On the Trail of the Cougar

There are many ways to monitor and study wildlife.  For the first phase of the Yellowstone Cougar Project, researchers chose noninvasive DNA sampling as the primary method.  This type of genetic sampling involves collecting and analyzing hair, scat and urine samples.
The DNA samples provide researchers with a window into the lives of cougars.  They can determine species and sex, and identify individual animals.  From this data, they can estimate abundance, population growth rates, distribution, home range size, individual habitat preferences, and even some forms of social interactions.
Each week last winter, the researchers attempted to walk the 10 primary survey routes, as well as some secondary routes.  When cougar tracks were detected, they followed them until hair, scat, or urine was discovered.  Hair was primarily collected from bed sites or caught on natural hair snags like thorns or branches.

DID YOU KNOW? Unlike lions and tigers, cougars are unable to roar, but they do communicate using a diverse array of vocalizations including growls, screams, and chirps. Listen here>>

Also noted along each route were signs of bears and wolves, along with deer or elk. When a kill site was discovered, researchers collected evidence to determine which predator was the likely culprit.

In addition, even more exciting data was captured by cameras mounted at 27 locations over an 800-mile survey route. From January through March of this year, 144 videos and 234 photos caught cougars in action, either traveling past, bedding, or scent-marking.

The Study Continues

Since the last cougar research occurred in 2006, there are around the same number of bears in Yellowstone, but more bison, and fewer wolves, elk and deer.  Although it’s too early to understand how these changes have impacted cougars, initial findings from the 2014 field season indicate that northern Yellowstone still serves as important habitat to a seemingly robust population of cougars and their offspring.
Based on the success rate of the 2014 DNA samples, which are currently being analyzed, researchers may refine their sampling methods, as well as expand the survey coverage area in the next two winters.  The team is also considering GPS-collaring individual adult cougars.
Ultimately, researchers hope to more fully understand the ecology of the cougar, and the dynamics of systems where several top carnivores co-exist.  This study will also help Yellowstone staff collaborate with other wildlife managers in parks where many carnivores reside.
The Yellowstone Park Foundation looks forward to sharing the progress and results of this planned five-year study as it continues.

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The Yellowstone Cougar Project is a partnership between the National Park Service and several private conservation organizations.  The 2014 field season was made possible through financial support from the Yellowstone Park Foundation (YPF), National Park Service, and National Park Foundation.  YPF is working to raise $50,000 to cover expenses for this project in 2015.