Wolves Return, Cougars Pivot to Deer in Yellowstone
Six years of remote cameras and kill data from Yellowstone show that after wolves were reintroduced, cougars avoid wolf‑kill zones and favor deer, aided by terrain that allows escape. The elk portion of cougar diets fell from about 80% (1998–2005) to 52% (2016–2024) while deer rose from 15% to 42%; younger, smaller females hunt more deer, older and larger males still tackle elk. The findings highlight how two top predators can reshuffle prey choices and stress the importance of prey diversity for coexistence, with implications for wildlife management where wolves and cougars coexist.
