Cougars are changing the way they hunt so bears don’t steal their food

Cougars in Yellowstone National Park are hunting an increasing proportion of their prey on rugged terrain, a tactic that may be a deliberate choice to reduce the chance that their kills are stolen by the growing number of bears and wolves in the area.

In Yellowstone National Park in the western US, the habitat of cougars (Puma concolor) – also known as mountain lions – overlaps with that of grey wolves (Canis lupus), grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis …