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DENVER-

Hoping to prevent mother mountain lions with litters from dying during hunting season, hunters will have to pass a test showing they know the difference between male and females before they set their sights on one of the big cats.

There are differences beyond the obvious.

The state Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve the mandatory training, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, that starts in July.

Male mountain lions are larger and have bigger paws and longer strides than females. Males also have a black spot of hair 4 to 5 inches below its anus, according to the Division of Wildlife Web site.

The Colorado Outfitters Association also supported the mandatory training, citing problems with the rising number of people hunting mountain lions.

Wendy Keefover-Ring, director of carnivore protection for Boulder-based Sinapu, a wildlife advocacy group, called the required training “cutting-edge.”

“It’s really going to encourage more conservation,” Keefover-Ring added.

Wildlife advocates say maintaining a certain number of female mountain lions is important because they don’t have litters every year, and kittens die without their mother. Keefover-Ring said 45 percent of the mountain lions killed in Colorado between 1995 and 2005 were female.

“That’s way too high,” she added.

Hunters have to pass the test—online or in a division office—before getting a mountain lion license.

The Division of Wildlife has approved two studies of mountain lions: a 10-year study of the cats on the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado to establish basic data and shape management policy; and one along the Front Range looking at, in part, the cats’ behavior as more people move into their habitat.

There are an estimated 4,500 to 5,500 mountain lions statewide. Mountain lions—also known as cougars and pumas—are usually tawny to light cinnamon in color with black-tipped ears and tail.

Adult male mountain lions weigh 110-180 pounds and can reach 8 feet long. Female mountain lions can grow to 7 feet long and weigh an average of 90 pounds.

Wildlife officers in Colorado have been trying to educate people about how to get along with the big cats as development pushes farther into the canyons and foothills along the populous Front Range. They have responded to recent cases of mountain lions killing deer and pets near homes in Boulder and other areas.

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On the Net: Colorado Division of Wildlife mountain lion education: