Cougar

Puma, Panther, Mountain lion, Catamount

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Subphylum

Vertebrata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Suborder

Feliformia

Family

Felidae

Genus

Puma

SPECIES

Puma concolor

Population size

below 50,000

Life Span

10-20 yrs

TOP SPEED

45 km/h

WEIGHT

29-100 kg

HEIGHT

60-90 cm

LENGTH

2-2.4 m

The cougar is a type of cat which is large and slender with a short coarse coat. Its color ranges from yellowish to grayish brown except for the belly, which is a paler color. The chest and throat are whitish. Their nose is pinkish, with a black border extending to the lips. There are black stripes on its muzzle, and the areas behind its ears, and the tip of its tail are black. The eye color of the adults is grayish brown to golden. They have a long, cylindrical tail which measures about one-third of its total length. Their limbs are muscular and short, and they have broad feet, with five digits on the front feet and five on the back feet.

Nocturnal

Carnivore

Terrestrial

Altricial

Ambush predator

Cursorial

Polygyny

Solitary

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Distribution

The geographic range of the cougar is the greatest of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, from Canadian Yukon through the US, Central and South America to the southern tip of Chile. Cougars were extirpated from the eastern and central parts of North America within 200 years following European colonization, expect of remnant subpopulation in south Florida. Cougars live in a wide variety of environments including montane coniferous forests, grassland, swamps, lowland tropical forests, dry brush country, and any other areas that offer adequate cover and prey. They use dense vegetation, rocky crevices and caves for shelter.

Geography

Continents

South America, North America

Subcontinents

Central America

Countries

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States, Venezuela

Biome

Temperate grasslands

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forest

Temperate coniferous forest

Desert and Xeric Shrublands

Montane grasslands and shrublands

Tropical savanna

Tropical dry forest

Tropical moist forests

Tropical coniferous forests

Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub

Climate zones

Tropical

Arid

Temperate

Polar

Cold

Habits and Lifestyle

Cougars are solitary animals and keep away from other individuals except during mating. Males will keep together immediately after having left their mother, but hardly ever as older adults. They are primarily nocturnal. They communicate through visual and olfactory signals, and males will often make scrapes in the snow or soil. The noises they make include hisses, growls and bird-like whistles. They have summer and winter ranges in some areas, migrating between them.

Lifestyle

Terrestrial, Altricial, Ambush predator, Cursorial

Diet and Nutrition

Cougars mainly eat large mammals, especially deer, and will also eat coyotes, beavers, porcupines, mice, marmots, raccoons, hares, birds and sometimes grasshoppers. They will prey on domestic livestock, such as poultry, sheep, calves, goats, and pigs.

Diet Carnivore

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR

Polygyny

REPRODUCTION SEASON

Year-round, December-March in northern latitudes

PREGNANCY DURATION

90-96 days

BABY CARRYING

1-6 kittens

INDEPENDENT AGE

40 days

BABY NAME

kitten

Cougars are polygamous. Mating can occur throughout the year, but in northern latitudes is mostly from December to March. Females tend to give birth every other year, to 1 – 6 kittens, following a gestation period of 90-96 days. They give birth in dens lined with vegetation or moss, usually within a protected place such as a rock shelter, pile of rocks, crevice, thicket, or caves. The kittens stay with their mothers until 1-2 years old. At about 40 days they are fully weaned. Females are sexual mature at about 2.5 years and males at about 3. They do not reproduce until after they have established a permanent home area.

Population Trend

Decreasing

POPULATION STATUS

Least concern (LC)

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Population

Population threats

Cougars are killed by sport hunters and also by farmers protecting their livestock. Habitat loss, poaching of their wild prey base and car accidents are further threats, as well as capture for zoos.

Population number

The IUCN has estimated the cougar's total breeding population at fewer than 50,000. As of 1996, the Canadian population was roughly estimated at 3,500-5,000. US state-level statistics suggest that cougar populations have rebounded. A healthy population of 5,000 was reported in Oregon, in 2006, exceeding a 3,000 target. California may have between 4,000 and 6,000, this state actively seeking to protect the animal. As of 2013, Florida subspecies of cougar numbers only 160 animals in the wild. The population in Central and South America is likely much higher than in North America, although even rough estimates are unavailable. Overall, currently cougars are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List; however their numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Cougars have an importance as top predators within their ecosystems. They have a role in controlling large ungulate populations.

Fun Facts for Kids

Cougars usually eat only once or twice in a week.
They cannot roar the way a lion does, but can make sounds like a human scream.
An Incan city in Peru called Cusco, was designed to be the same shape as a cougar.
If cougars can't finish eating their kill in one go, they hide it behind bushes or under leaves and return to it later.
The cougar is North America's second largest cat.
Cougars have an "M" shaped pad on their feet with three lobes on the heel.

Cougar

Photos with Cougar

Distribution

Geography

Biome

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

Population

Population threats

Population number

Ecological niche

Fun Facts for Kids

References

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About

Cougar

Photos with Cougar

Distribution

Geography

Biome

Climate zones

Habits and Lifestyle

Diet and Nutrition

Mating Habits

Population

Population threats

Population number

Ecological niche

Fun Facts for Kids

References

Related Animals

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About