The American Lion is known by many names; puma, cougar, panther, tyger, painter, catamount, mountain lion, and so on. Our Nation's lion is listed in dictionaries under more names than any other animal in the world with at least 85 different designations for the same animal. An elusive creature, mountain lions live lonely, scattered lives on territories often more than one hundred square miles in size.

Once freely ranging throughout most of North and South America, by the beginning of the 20^th Century lions had been extirpated by humans from almost every state east of the Rockies, and were on the brink of extinction across the entire United States by the early 1960s. While lion population levels have since rebounded within some western states, the species still faces extermination in those areas where human development is greatest.

To find out more about mountain lions in your state click on the appropriate link below.

Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Iowa
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oregon
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Washington
Wyoming

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