The Idaho Department of fish and game has confirmed that the mountain lion had a growth on its head with a full set of fangs. The growth, which hints at the snout of another cougar, had small whiskers as well. It came to the department’s attention after it was shot at by a landowner, who saw it attacking a neighbor’s dog. Although the mountain lion ran off, the hunter followed it into the hills with his hounds and eventually killed it. The hunter had a valid license and tag and had reported it to the conservation office as required by law. According to Idaho the growth could be from a conjoined twin that had died in the womb. Sometimes the surviving fetus will absorb the tissue of the other and make it its own. Another resaon for the growth is a teratoma tumor, a growth composed of tissue that makes up teeth, hair, and even fingers and toes. These tumors are rare, but have been seen before in humans and animals.
Questions-
What do you think caused the tumor?
Do you think it was right for the hunter to kill it?
My thoughts-
I think that it was just a conjoined twin that caused the tumor. And I do not think that the hunter had to kill the mountain lion specially since it ran off and stopped attacking the dog.
Replies
Interesting story! Your replies are a bit brief.
Anything could have been the cause, considering that the lion is a birth defect. I don't think that the hunter should have killed it, unless it was really putting the hunter in danger.
I thought the same!
Well it's just a birth defect and a tumor so I'm not sure what the cause was. I don't think the hunter should have killed it because it was a cool sighting and others should be able to see it.
Very true!
I think it could have been cause by a number of things. But it could have just been more with a gene like this. I think it would die eventually anyways.
I agree with the Idaho Department of fish and game that the growth was probably that of a twin that died in the womb. These things aren't that rare and it is a reasonable explanation. I think that it was alright for the hunter to kill the mountain lion because it was harming a neighbors dog and he hunted it legally. He did nothing wrong and it probably helped the community to feel safer from the wild animals.
Yupp! Definetely.
Animals have genetic mutations just like humans do. I think that the lion's genes mutated and allowed it to grow fangs out of it's forehead. It's probably a good thing that the hunter killed it, because it might have had other things wrong with it, and would have been detrimental to the environment of other mountain lions. Also, it was attacking someone's dog, which is like attacking someone's family member.
Very true!