HABITAT AND RANGE:
The Cougar, also know as Puma, Mountain Lion, Panther or Catamount, is native to the Americas. Their range stretches from the Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes. They prefer habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but can live in open areas. The Cougar is territorial and persists at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
Adult Cougars stand about 2 to 2 ½ feet at the shoulder. Males can measure up to 8 feet from nose to tail and can weigh up to 160 pounds; females generally only weigh around 100 pounds. The Cougar has strong limbs, neck and jaws that are used to capture and hold large prey. The large paws of the Cougar allow it to have great leaping and short sprinting ability. Its head is round and the ears are held erect. Cougar coloring is plain, but can vary greatly between individuals and even between siblings. The coat is usually tawny, but ranges to silvery-grey or reddish, with lighter patches on the under body including the jaws, chin, and throat. Infants are spotted and born with blue eyes and rings on their tails; juveniles are pale, and dark spots remain on their flanks.
ADAPTATIONS:
Cougars are solitary cats, so only mothers with kittens live in groups together. Adults meet only to mate. Large males can have a territory anywhere from 60 to 385 square miles, while the females generally only a territory half that size. The Cougar is so adaptable that it may thrive in habitats varying from lowland tropical forests, swamps, and grassland, to mountain conifer forests, desert scrub, and any location with adequate cover and prey. As a stalk-and-ambush predator, the Cougar prefers densely forested areas in coastal swamps such as those of southern Florida, and it tends to choose vegetated ridges, rocky cliffs and ledges, and other solid covers in inland areas such as those of the Southwest desert basin and mountain range country.
DIET:
Cougars are strictly carnivores and will eat any animal it can catch, from insects to large mammals. The most common prey for the Cougars are deer species (mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose), sheep and domestic livestock. The Cougar will hunt using ambush techniques. It will stalk through brush or trees or other covered areas before bringing down its prey with a powerful leap and a fatal bite. When feeding off large prey, the Cougar only needs to eat once every two weeks.
REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:
Females reach sexual maturity between 1 ½ and 3 years of age. Copulation is brief, but frequent during her fertile period. They generally have one litter every two to three years, with litter sizes ranges from one to six kittens. Only the females are involved with the parenting and they are fiercely protective of their babies. They sometimes use caves and other alcoves as litter dens to keep their kittens safe. The babies are born blind and are completely dependent on their mothers for at least the first three months. As the young grow, they go on hunting trips with their mothers, first to visit kill sites and, after six months, to hunt small prey on their own. Kitten survival rates are just over one per litter. Life expectancy in the wild is between 8 and 12 years, but they can live up to 20 years in captivity.
STATUS IN WILD:
Threats to the Cougar include persecution as a menace animal, degradation and fragmentation of their habitat and depletion of their food sources. They area protected throughout much of their range.
