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Mountain lion are prowl Greater Los Angeles at night to avoid humanity exercising on their flock , a new study finds .

The human population of Greater Los Angeles is increasingly using mountain lion ( Puma concolor ) dominion for recreational activities such as tramp , extend and cycling . That place the mountain lions in a tough smirch — so they ’re changing their behavior .

A night-time photo of a mountain lion with her kittens

A female mountain lion named “P65” with her kittens in Greater Los Angeles.

Mountain lions , also known as pumas or cougars , are naturally most participating during dusk and dawn , but in position where man plight in recreational natural action , the cats now prefer nighttime hours , allot to the study , publish Nov. 15 in the journalBiological Conservation .

" This flexibleness we see in flock social lion activeness is what allows us to divvy up these natural areas together , " study trail authorEllie Bolas , a doctoral campaigner studying mountain lions and mule cervid at the University of California , Davis , said in astatement . " Mountain Lion are doing the work so that coexistence can take place . "

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a mountain lion up close

P-22 in 2019, was captured to replace battery in GPS collar. He spent much of his relatively long life in urban Griffith Park.

Bolas and her colleague fitted Global Positioning System neckband to 22 mountain lions live in and around the Santa Monica Mountains between 2011 and 2018 . They then compared mountain lions ' activity with human recreational activeness registered on the online platformStrava , which enables users to chase after their physical recitation .

The researchers find that mountain lions living in areas with increased unpaid activity shifted the timing of their activity from aurora to night — when human activity was at its lowest , fit in to the bailiwick . This hint they adapted to avoid citizenry .

These findings are consistent withprevious studiesthat propose mammals across the human beings are becoming more nocturnal in response to human activities , and that piranha like mickle lions will go out of their way to avoid humans .

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A 2019 survey published in the journalEcology Lettersfound that the sound of humans talking was enough to scare away away mountain lions and reduce their activity — to the point that our voices had a similar issue to hit the predator from the ecosystem on the whole . humankind have historically persecuted mountain king of beasts , so thisfear of our speciesis well - make .

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Today , raft Leo be around Los Angeles face many threats , including busy roads , wildfires , rodenticide photograph , low hereditary diversity and disunited home ground , according to the statement . The study authors noted that our recreational activity are another potential stressor for the hombre .

" Even something as innocuous as refreshment can add to these other stressor we ’re impart into their biography , potentially by altering the amount of energy they have to expend for hunting and other penury , " Bolas said . " But we can feel a horse sense of optimism that they are flexible in the timing of their activeness . Coexistence is happening , and it ’s in large part because of what mountain lions are doing . "

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