Mountain lion ambushes and kills wolf.

In the US, biologists are searching for the cause of a mountain lion killing a large number of wolves in Washington state, a behavior very rare in nature.

Mountain lions in Washington target wolves from various packs in the area. Photo: National Geographic — Mountain lions in Washington target wolves from various packs in the area. Photo: *National Geographic*

A female wolf was wandering along a trail in northeastern Washington last summer. Suddenly, a mountain lion hiding in the bushes jumped out and attacked. After a fierce battle, the mountain lion bit through the wolf's skull. It then carried the carcass away to eat later before disappearing into the dense forest, National Geographic reported on August 25.

The Washington Fish and Wildlife Service (WDFW) has recorded cougars killing six collared wolves since 2013, accounting for nearly 30% of the 21 natural wolf deaths in the state. According to Trent Roussin, a biologist at WDFW, the number would be much larger if the trend continues and would represent the entire population in Washington state. The wolves killed belonged to multiple packs in different areas of the state.

Mountain lions hunting wolves is rare in the western United States, where wolves have been abundant since their reintroducation to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Idaho in 1995. Today, Montana and Idaho have five times as many wolves as Washington. Biologists in Yellowstone have only recorded two instances of mountain lions killing wolves in the past 28 years. The number of similar incidents in Idaho and Montana was two and five, respectively, between 2009 and 2012.

Wolves dispersed naturally in Washington during the summer of 2008. Recent counts recorded 216 individuals in 37 packs, primarily in the Cascade Range and the woodlands of the northeastern state. Wolf packs generally have an advantage over solitary mountain lions. However, mountain lions would have the upper hand in a one-on-one ambush.

The first reported case of a wolf killed by a mountain lion in Washington was in 2013, involving a lightweight female wolf traveling in the Cascade Range. The mountain lion killed a two-year-old male wolf from the Teanaway pack in March 2014. A month later, a six-year-old male wolf from the Smackout pack was killed near its den. Researchers also documented the hunting and killing of a seven-year-old female wolf in 2019, and a nearly one-year-old female wolf and a cub last September.

Biologists discovered this trend through radio-detecting collars. When a wolf remained motionless for eight hours, the collar would signal. The research team retrieved the collar and pieced together what had happened. Initially, investigators looked for signs of poaching, a common cause of death. They also examined the scene for animal tracks, droppings, and the location of the wolf carcass. The neatly concealed carcass hinted at the cougar's culpability. The autopsy confirmed this with two puncture wounds to the skull.

Interactions between wolves and mountain lions appear to vary depending on the habitat. Researchers have found wolves killing many mountain lion cubs in the Teton Range. However, mountain lions rarely attack wolves. Biologists have not recorded any instances of wolves killing mountain lions or cubs in Washington.

Without a sufficiently large sample size to draw conclusions, Roussin speculates that differences in habitat may help explain the high number of mountain lion killings of wolves in Washington state. The area's steep mountains, numerous narrow canyons, and limited open grasslands may give mountain lions an advantage. According to the expert, other factors that could contribute to this behavior include mountain lion density and wolf pack size.

An Khang (According to National Geographic )

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