This mountain lion in Montana couldn’t go over the creek, and evidently couldn’t go around it either… so it went right through it and used a fallen tree as a makeshift bridge.
When it comes to the most prolific and majestic predators in North America, the mountain lion (also referred to as cougars, depending on the region) has to be towards the top of the list. Though these big cats can weigh upwards of 150 pounds, they are some of the most stealthy animals on the planet, and are as nimble as they come.
You’ve probably heard the old saying about mountain lions: “If you happen to spot a mountain lion out in the wild, there’s a good chance they actually spotted you first.”
That saying also rings true because they are a very reclusive animal, which makes it difficult to get a read on just on how many mountain lions are out there in the wild. The populations is believed to be somewhere around 50,000, and that’s worldwide. Interestingly enough, much of that global estimation is made up of mountain lions residing in the western part of North America.
States like Colorado, Montana, California, Utah and Idaho– and then up in parts of Canada – are believed to hold most of the world’s mountain lion population. It’s estimated by wildlife biologists that 20,000 to 40,000 of all mountain lions living in the wild belong to the western U.S. and Canada.
We know at least one of those tens of thousands of mountain lions was crossing a fast-moving stream in northwest Montana earlier this year, and a trail camera captured it all on video for our enjoyment.
The big cat came upon the creek and knew that it needed to reach the other side. It’s pretty common knowledge that cats – big and small – prefer to not get wet, right? This mountain lion was doing all it could to avoid splashing into the water, but the log that stretched from one side of the water to the other wasn’t exactly cooperating.
In times of the year where the water isn’t as high, the mountain lion would have been able to dig its nails into the wood and keep its balance. But because the water was higher, it was rushing up and over the log, making the tree-bridge a bit slippery. Initially, the wild feline looked rather comfortable as it walked across the log. Once it got to the part where the current was the strongest, things got interesting.
Multiple times throughout its trek across the creek, the mountain lion lost its balance. That being said, it never fell all the way off the log. It was always able to regain its footing, and once it got close enough to the other side, it said, “To heck with this tight rope walk” and jumped the rest of the way across.
Though it wasn’t an elegant and error-free balancing act like the mountain lion was probably hoping for… it made it across to the other side, and that’s all that matters:
“A mountain lion struggles to cross the creek on a log but the creek is too high and the lion stumbles and gets a bit wet. Watch how the cat uses its tail to try to maintain balance before it stumbles.]
That log is a great bridge starting in July when the water level is much lower. Cats and bears, in particular, like to use it.”
