City lights shine all night amid the bustling traffic, businesses and neighborhoods of Southern California, one of the most populated areas that mountain lions call home.
City lights shine all night amid the bustling traffic, businesses and neighborhoods of Southern California, one of the most populated areas that mountain lions call home.
A study from the University of California, Davis, found that mountain lions avoid places with artificial light, even during the day. The finding adds to the list of challenges faced by the big cats in the region, where scientists have warned they may face extinction within decades.
The new study, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, carries implications for the conservation of this sensitive species, and for wildlife crossing proposals. The authors described ways to limit light impacts in their design guidance for the Wallis Annenberg crossing over U.S. Highway 101, which broke ground in April 2022, and for a newly proposed wildlife crossing at Interstate 15 near Temecula.
Read more at University of California - Davis
Image: Mountain lions prefer darker, forested areas and try to avoid places lit by artificial lights, a study from UC Davis study found. (Trail camera image courtesy UC Davis)
