Mountain lions live across much of North and South America, from Canada all the way down to southern Chile and Argentina, as long as there is enough cover and prey like deer.

Main habitats

Mountain lions are extremely adaptable and occupy many habitat types. They are commonly found in:

  • Mountains and rocky canyons with steep terrain.
  • Forests and woodland areas that provide dense underbrush for stalking.
  • Deserts, shrublands, and open areas with patches of cover.

They usually avoid heavily developed urban centers but can use the edges of suburbs, especially where wildlands and deer are nearby.

Where they are in the Americas

  • In North America, mountain lions range from the Canadian Yukon and western Canada through the western United States and much of Mexico.
  • They once lived across all of the U.S., but now are mostly in the West, with a small endangered population (Florida panther) in southern Florida.
  • In Central and South America, they extend through Mexico, the Amazon, and down the Andes into Patagonia in southern South America.

Within this vast range, local populations depend on habitat quality, human pressure, and connectivity between wild areas.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.