Does a population of cougars exist in Michigan?

Item Metadata

Dublin Core

Title

Does a population of cougars exist in Michigan?

Description

After analyzing DNA obtained from fecal samples gathered in Michigan, Swanson and Rusz (2006) claimed that 83% of identified scats were from cougars, indicating to them that a population of these large carnivores existed in the state. In this paper, we identify problems with their methodology, suggest that they unreasonably extrapolated their conclusions and point out that their results are improbable, especially in light of no other evidence in the scientific literature suggesting the existence of a population of cougars in Michigan.

Bibliographic Citation

Kurta, A., M. K. Schwartz, and C. R. Anderson Jr. 2007. Does a population of cougars exist in Michigan? The American Midland Naturalist 158:467–471. https://doi.org/10.1674/0003-0031(2007)158[467:DAPOCE]2.0.CO;2

Creator

Kurta, Allen
Schwartz, Michael K.
Anderson Jr, Charles R.

Subject

Cougar
Michigan
DNA
Distribution

Extent

6 pages

Date Created

2007-10-01

Type

Article

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Is Part Of

The American Midland Naturalist

Collection

Citation

Kurta, Allen, Schwartz, Michael K., and Anderson Jr, Charles R., “Does a population of cougars exist in Michigan?,” CPW Digital Collections, accessed April 25, 2024, https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/106.