COUGAR FOOD-HABITS IN SOUTHERN UTAH

Diets of cougars (F. concolor) were studied from Dec. 1978 to Aug. 1981, on a 4500-km2 study area near Escalante, Utah. Prey eaten by cougars was estimated from analysis of 112 animals consumed as prey and from 239 cougar scats. Composition of diet was corrected based on feeding trials using captive cougars. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) were the major prey item, comprising 81% of biomass consumed. Lagomorphs, large rodents, and smaller predators were also important components of the diet. Cattle comprised less than 1% of the diet, although they were abundant on the cougars'' summer range. Age structure of deer killed by cougars indicated that older (> 7 yr) deer were killed more often than expected (P < 0.005).