Clark Mason, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
The most fascinating creature caught on wildlife cameras in the Bay Area may be the mountain lion, a large carnivore that lives close by, occasionally slipping among us, but rarely seen.
Sherry Adams, a biologist who lives at the Modini Mayacamas Preserves northeast of Healdsburg, jokes that “the mountain lions know me by name,” even though they stay out of sight.
“They are in fact there,” she said. “The cameras show them enough. We know they are around more often than we see them.”
Biologists say the big cats with the long, thick tails are among the first species to disappear as the natural habitat becomes fragmented.
But scientists say these top predators, or “ecosystem regulators,” are important to help maintain the balance of plants and animals.
They keep deer herds on the move so they don’t overgraze, resulting in less erosion along riverbanks, for example. They also open up habitat for other species, according to organizations devoted to protecting mountain lions.
Read more via Caught on camera: Mountain lions nearer to us | The Press Democrat.