Mary Allen
Scientific name: Puma concolor;
Size: 1.5 meters long, 75 centimeters high;
Weight: 125 kilograms;
Lifespan: up to 18 years;
Habitat: North and South America;
Diet: carnivores, deer, sheep, caribou, rodents, birds, fish.
Inhabiting various ecosystems from mountains to deserts to sea-level, the cougar’s established range includes western North America, a small region in Florida, and most of South America. They make their home anywhere that there is shelter and prey.
The puma is also known as a silver lion, mountain lion, or kuguar. Although the domestic cat’s relatives have no natural predators, they are still endangered.
Pumas (Puma concolor) are mammals and belong to the cat family (Felidae). Although cougars are not exactly the smallest cats, they belong to the subfamily of small cats (Felinae). They are more closely related to the domestic cat than to the lion.
General information about the Puma
Puma males grow up to 1.5 meters long and weigh up to 125 kilograms. The tail length of the cougar alone is 80 centimeters, the shoulder height is up to 75 centimeters. The puma females, on the other hand, are a little smaller and only half as heavy. The puma’s coat color ranges from silvery gray to reddish brown, depending on where the animals live. They are perfectly adapted to their environment. Melanism occurs occasionally. This means the animals are colored black. Then they look similar to black panthers.
What does a cougar eat?
Cougars are carnivores. They don’t care about the size of their prey. They eat everything from rodents to elk. It also happens that they eat birds or fish. More often, however, it is deer, caribou or sheep.
How does a cougar live?
Pumas are solitary animals that only get together with their own kind during the mating season. Their habitat once extended across the entire American continent, from Canada to Florida to Patagonia, across North America and South America. In the meantime, their distribution area has shrunk considerably. They live in remote, deserted areas.
Depending on the food supply, a cougar’s territory can cover up to a thousand square meters. Cougars can run up to 72 kilometers per hour. For comparison: a cheetah can do up to 100 kilometers per hour. In addition, cougars are very good climbers.
Rearing the Puma cubs is entirely in the hands of the females. After a gestation period of 90 days, they give birth to two to three young. Cougars can live up to 18 years.
Is the puma endangered?
Adult cougars don’t really have any natural enemies. However, they are still at risk. Unfortunately, the biggest threat to them is humans. In the United States of America, puma is a protected species, but unfortunately, this is often ignored. They are often shot by farmers who fear for their livestock. They are also illegally killed for their fur.
Where are Cougar most commonly found?
Today viable, breeding cougar populations are found in just the sixteen states of Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, and Florida.
What is a cougar habitat?
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.
Where are cougars in Canada?
The species has a very wide range, encompassing large areas of North, Central and South America. In Ontario, Cougars are most likely believed to live in northern Ontario because of the remoteness of the habitat. However, there have been many reports from the southern part of the province.
Where do cougar cats live?
The cougar (Puma concolor) is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. It is an adaptable, generalist species, occurring in most American habitat types.