Video: The Mating Scream of a Female Mountain Lion
OutdoorHub Reporters 10.19.15
You’re going to want to lower your volume a bit before watching this one.
If you’ve ever wondered what a female mountain lion in heat sounded like, then you’re in luck. This trail cam footage was uploaded to YouTube earlier this year and appears to show a cougar “advertising” her readiness to mate with some seductive calling. While it may sound like someone screaming bloody murder to us, apparently male mountain lions find this sort of thing attractive.
Males can also produce similar screaming sound. While females use it to indicate the beginning of their heat cycle, males use it to intimidate rivals. If you hear a chorus of screams in the middle of the forest, it’s likely a pair of males fighting over females or territory.
We have no way of knowing whether this specific cougar was able to attract a mate that night. Mountain lions are polygamous and males do not take part in raising young, although they will stick around and mate with the female several times during her estrus period.
