In the Lion's Den!

During my pictograph and petroglyph hike in Joshua Tree with PT last week, I think some of his enthusiasm rubbed off on me. I found myself poking around in anything that looked like a rock overhang or cave for signs of ancient markings. Well, I didn't find any new pictographs or petroglyphs sites (besides those that PT showed me), but I did make a somewhat gruesome and interesting discovery. I noticed a couple huge boulders that formed something of a natural cave. Looking in, I saw a large skeleton! Seeing the big rib cage, my first reaction was to take a few steps back in shock, and I wondered if it was a human skeleton. After regaining my composure, I took a closer look and it was obviously the skeleton of a bighorn sheep. As PT and I climbed into the cave to take a closer look, we noticed the skeleton was nearly fully intact. Near as I could tell, it was missing only one horn and the lower jaw, and these were on a rock ledge just above the rest of the skeleton. It slowly dawned on both of us that this was a very recent kill, and that there is only one predator in Joshua Tree that could have killed a bighorn sheep, and that's a mountain lion. I think we both got the heeby jeebies at about the same time as we realized we had literally climbed into a mountain lion den where a lion had been recently feeding.

The missing horn and lower jaw were on this ledge above the main skeleton.

Photo credit Pat Tillett

We left everything exactly as we found it, and agreed we should quietly exit the den ASAP. As we did so, I think we both wondered if we were being watched, and scanned the rocky slopes around us, hoping not to see the big cat coming our way!!!

Photo credit: Google Images at Mountain Lion California

After our hike, I notified the Park Service of our find and asked if this was likely a mountain lion kill. Park Ranger Michael Vamstad confirmed our suspicions that this was almost certainly a mountain lion kill (the bighorn sheep was likely attacked while drinking from the nearby wash and dragged to this location). He said they really don't know how many mountain lions there are in Joshua Tree, but estimated there are probably "about a dozen". He was very interested in my report and asked for GPS coordinates of the location (which I provided). Additional information he provided is below.

Mountain lions do return to the kill site multiple times to feed on the carcass. They are quite methodical when it comes to feeding and I would say that this carcass is picked pretty clean. They first usually remove the digestive system and then go for the organ meat and that is why you see the rib cage opened up rather evenly. They then will return for more muscular meat. This may be a strategy to eat the parts that will go bad first and to remove the organs that will hasten the spoilage of the meat (digestive tract organs). A bighorn kill will probably feed a lion for a week or so. 

We have never had a lion attack in the park. We have had a couple of interactions where the Lion growled at hikers, but that has been it. I know that I feel the heeby jeebies when I am around a kill site, although I am probably in no real danger. However, you are in their territory and at one of their kill sites which probably increases your risk some...

Thanks again for letting us know!! We will get it entered into our database. 

It was quite an adventure, and one I will not soon forget!