A new video out of Arizona captured a noisy mountain lion on a trail camera. The video features two mountain lions in a southern part of the state, but the exact location was not shared.
Unsurprisingly, the crisp video is getting a lot of attention on social media. Many are commenting in an attempt to figure out what is happening.
The trail camera footage comes from Jason Miller, who lives in the Tucson area. His videos have gone viral before for capturing rare and elusive animals like jaguars in the U.S. In the video of the noisy mountain lion, Miller writes, “Noisy lady!”
Here’s the clip:
In the video, you can see two cougars. One sits on the ground, letting out shrieks, while the other appears to be chewing on something nearby.
The impressive video gives viewers a look at these secretive animals. Some viewers are unsure what is happening, while other commenters feel confident that this cougar may be in heat. A little bit of research shows that this is certainly a possibility.
Mountain lions do something called caterwauling. The noise comes from females and is a loud shriek used to attract mates. It’s even done by house cats, but it’s not quite as unsettling as when a large mountain lion makes the sound.
Here’s a video of the sound:
Cougars are solitary creatures and spend their lives alone. According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, the animal’s territory can easily be 100 square miles. That means they have to travel great distances to find a mate.
The noisy mountain lion sound, or cauterwauling, is done to help find the exact location of a mate. The sound is purposely loud so it travels a great distance.
What do you think is happening in the viral video?