Mountain Lion / Cougar Question?

Question

Who would win a fight to the death?

A 5-9 185 lb man in reasonably good shape or a 115 lb male mountain lion. There is no element of surprise and no weapons. This is actually an important question, so cites are very welcome.

Answer 1

If it's an important question, I assume that you are worried about mountain lions in your area or someone else who has them?

What you need to do if you meet a mountain lion depends on how close to you it gets. If it's fairly far off, you want to RUN like the dickens. If it gets close, you try to scare it off. If it attacks, you fight to the death. My friend's dad was attacked by a juvenile mountain lion once, and he managed to sling it over his shoulder and crush its skull on the ground. He was a VERY strong man, though. Not everyone would be able to do that.

For more specifics on protecting yourself from mountain lions, take the suggestions from this website.

http://www.angelfire.com/co/KlueLass/lions/ljohnson.html

Also, you might want to consider carrying a weapon if there are known to be mountain lions in the area.

Answer 2

As someone who walked right by the ~115 lb mountain lion after he started dining on a mountain biker, and being very nearly that size, that question has entered my mind on several occasions. He tried to kill a lady and nearly succeed a couple of hours after I went by. That was a few years ago in Whiting Ranch Park, Orange County, Ca.

In fact you would have very little chance unless you had some sort of weapon. From what I have heard they could take a blow that would knock out a human. He would latch on to some important part and would not let go. The part would become useless to you and he would go for the kill. That is how they kill, like bobcats, with a powerful crushing bite.

Answer 3

After re-reading your question, I have come to a conclusion that your question has mistakes in place. You state in the second sentence that..."there is no element of surprise and no weapons." But I can assure you that the 185 pound man is going to be MORE than surprised when a moderate sized cat of 115 pounds rips into him with long and sharp claws on all four feet, and then bites him with some very lethal canines and incisors capable of lacerating jugular veins, tearing flesh from the muscle tissue of arms, legs, and chest/stomach, etc. The man will struggle to maintain his balance on two feet and will have only two hands to defend himself. The cat will launch itself with ALL four feet onto the victim, biting and clawing with all of its teeth and toenails. The man will fight to stay errect under the weight of the cat, but the cat will expect to fall and roll and tumble about on the ground/floor as it angles to get a better position from which it can make its neck breaking swipe at the head and neck, or better yet, the clutching bite to the throat which collapses the esophegus and causes its prey to suffocate. Quite often, the big cats fight by holding their prey with the front feet as they rip open the belly of their victim with the claws of their hind feet. Keeping in mind that the most common prey of the biggest cats on the North American continent (they average one kill per week) are whitetail and mule deer which can weigh considerably more than a 185 pound man, my vote will always be on the cat. He is very good at what he does. His very survival depends on how well he does it. Man, on the other hand, is poor suited and not well adapted at all to defend himself without some kind of weapon. Even one trained in martial arts will be bleeding severely before the duel has ended. Even then, my bet goes on the side of the cat. He's fast. His instincts are eons old. He's a survivor. And just like your household tabby, he always lands on his feet. Always.

Dan B

Answer 4

A human wouldn't have a chance against fangs and razor-sharp claws. One bite in the throat and you're history.