ORDER

Carnivora (carnivores)

FAMILY

Felidae (cats)

HABITAT AND RANGE

Cougars can be found throughout most of North America from southern Alaska all the way south to Argentina and South America. They have the most extensive distribution of all North American terrestrial animals. Because of their widespread distribution, they can be found in a variety of habitats in their own territories. Territories can range from 8-500 square miles and when ranges overlap, the individuals tend to avoid each other. Today due to human encroachment, they are more limited to mountainous and uninhabited terrain. The only population that survives east of the Mississippi is the Florida panther a highly endangered subspecies of which only 30-50 individuals are thought to remain.

IDENTIFICATION

Pumas are large tawny colored cats with a distinctively long and heavy tail. Pumas can pounce up to 30 feet and their large tail helps them keep their balance. Their bellies are creamy white and they are the second largest American cat behind the jaguar. Males can weigh from 140-200 lbs while females reach 80-175 lbs.

DIET

Cougars subsist on a variety of prey from small rabbits and squirrels to large deer. They prefer to hunt deer because it is more energy efficient and yields a larger amount of meat in one effort rather than hunting many rabbits. Cougars are extremely efficient hunters, they like to stalk their prey and pounce on it from as far as 30 feet away. Their hunting success is usually 80% which is extremely high when one considers the fact that most other cats rarely make a kill half the time. Cougars have been known to stalk and attack humans if they are alone, especially women and children.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

Cougars only come together when mating which can occur year round and females will usually mate with males whose ranges overlap their own. Gestation lasts about three months after which an average of 3-4 cubs are born. The cubs are altricial and will open their eyes 10 days after birth. They have spotted fur and rings around their tails which disappear after a year. Lifespan is 22-24 years.

NOTES

Also known as: cougar, panther, puma, painter, catamount, klandaghi (Cherokee for Lord of the Forest).