Colorado jogger kills a mountain lion with his BARE HANDS after it attacked him on a running trail and bit on the face, back, legs and arms

A Colorado jogger fought off a mountain lion in the foothills of Horsetooth Mountain on Monday, suffering severe bites before he killed the wild animal in self-defense, authorities said.

The man, who was not identified, was jogging on a trail on the West Ridge of the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a mountain park about 66 miles northwest of Denver.

The mountain lion attacked him from behind, biting and clawing the man's face, back, legs and arms, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources said in a joint release, late on Monday.

However, it was not disclosed exactly how the jogger managed to kill the animal, and no one from the CPW or the Larimer DNR was available for comment early Tuesday.

Responding to a question on Twitter about whether the jogger had used any kind of weapon against the create, the CPW confirmed that he had not. 

Instead, he fought the animal off using just his bare hands. 

But CPW did report that the animal was a juvenile, which would have significantly increased his chances of fighting off the attack.

Adult male mountain lions can weigh anywhere between 110 and 180 pounds and females 80 to 130 pounds - so a juvenile is likely to weigh significantly less, particularly a female. 

The sex of the animal that ambushed the jogger was not reported.

The runner was able to get himself to a local hospital and his injuries were serious but not life-threatening, officials said.

The animal's body was recovered near the jogger's dropped possessions and taken to a CPW lab for a necropsy.

'The runner did everything he could to save his life,' said Mark Leslie, CPW Northeast Regional Manager. 'In the event of a lion attack, you need to do anything in your power to fight back, just as this gentleman did.'

Lion attacks have caused fewer than 20 fatalities in the United States in the past 100 years. Sixteen known attacks have occurred in Colorado since 1990, officials said.