Presence of Puma (Puma concolor) in a peri-urban landscape south of the Aburrá Valley, Antioquia, Colombia

Abstract

The Puma or Mountain Lion (Puma concolor) is the second largest species of feline in America. It is distributed from Canada to Patagonia and due to its great ecological plasticity it can be found in a wide variety of habitats such as deserts, savannahs and humid forests, from sea level to 5000 meters above sea level, being the main predator in mountain ecosystems, especially above 2000 meters above sea level (Nowell and Jackson 1996, De Angelo et al. 2009). However, human activities such as the expansion of the agricultural-livestock frontier, and the expansion and development of urban centers (which are becoming increasingly larger and more complex), are increasingly fragmenting and threatening the natural habitats available for this and other species (Arias-Alzate et al. 2011, Arias-Alzate et al. 2013, González-Maya et al. 2013, Laundre, & Hernandez 2010). Species such as carnivores (Mammalia: Carnivora) with wide distributions and low population densities are the most sensitive and vulnerable to the processes of fragmentation and habitat loss (Noss et al. 1996; Crook 2002; Gittleman et al. 2001, Riley et al. al. 2003).