Are Colorado’s Mountain Lions More Dangerous than Wolves?

The fairly recent voter-approved measure that spearheaded the reintroduction of wolves into Colorado's wilderness has been controversial, to say the least, especially given how quickly reports of attacks are surfacing.

Read More: Colorado’s Newly-Introduced Wolves Now Have Names |

However, a recent attack involving one of these wolves didn't involve livestock or pets but was likely the result of an encounter with a mountain lion which, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the mountain lion ended up killing the wolf.

This recent report begs the question, are mountain lions a bigger threat in Colorado than the newly-introduced wolves?

Colorado Mountain Lions vs. Colorado Wolves

The wolf in question was found dead last month and according to CPW, the puncture wounds found in its skull were consistent with those of a mountain lion.

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In fact, mountain lions are similar to wolves in a number of ways. Both species stalk their prey which range in size from small animals including, but not limited to, domestic pets, all the way up to big game like deer and elk.

However, while there are currently less than a dozen wolves roaming around the Colorado wilderness, CPW estimates that there are over 4,000 adult mountain lions in the state.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife also notes that mountain lions can be a threat to humans, especially when they're feeding, and that threat increases greatly if humans are providing food to them.

Regardless of which species might be considered to be the bigger threat, both mountain lions and wolves can be extremely dangerous not just to animals, but humans as well, and it's important to remember never to feed any wild animal.