Common Names: Cougar, Puma, Panther, Mountain Lion, Catamount Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (Puma) Species: concolor Sub-species: Eastern Texas to Florida ?P.c.coryi 朓UCN: Endangered, CITES:Appendix I Northeastern US and southeastern Canada Cougar ?P.c. couguar - IUCN: Endangered, CITES: Appendix I Central American Cougar ?P.c. costaricensis ?CITES: Appendix I
Misc.: The cougar has the greatest natural distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere except for man.
The cougar is extremely agile and has great jumping power and may leap from the ground up to a height of 18 feet into a tree. It is a good swimmer but prefers not to enter the water. Sight is its most acute sense with a good sense of hearing, but is thought to have a poorly developed sense of smell.
Size and Appearance: The cougar is the largest cat in the genus "felis", and is comparable in size as the leopard. They vary in length from 59 ?108 inches with a tail length of 21 ?36 inches, and height from 23 ?28 inches at the shoulder. Weight can vary greatly, between 75 and 250 pounds. They have a long body with a small head, short face, and a long neck and tail. They are powerfully built, and the hind legs are larger than the front. The ears are small, short and rounded.
Habitat: The cougar thrives in montane, coniferous forests, lowland tropical forests, swamps, grassland, dry brush country, or any other area with adequate cover and prey.
Distribution: Western North America from British Columbia and south Alberta south through west Wyoming to California and west Texas. Also south Texas, Louisiana, south Alabama, Tennessee, and peninsular Florida.
Reproduction and Offspring: There is no fixed mating season, but in North America, the majority of births occur between late winter and early spring. Females tend to reproduce every other year, and give birth to litters of 1 ?6 (usually 2-3) kittens after a gestation of 90-96 days. Mothers give birth to their young in dens that are lined with moss or vegetation, usually in rock shelters, crevices, piles of rocks, thickets, caves, or some other protected place. Kittens weigh approximately 7-16 ounces at birth, and have spotted coats until they are around 6 months old. They will continue to nurse for 3 or more months, but will begin to take meat at 6 weeks. The kittens will remain with their mothers until they are 1-2 years old, and after separating, siblings will remain together for another 2-3 months. Females reach sexual maturity around 2.5 and males around 3 years. They will not begin to reproduce until they have established themselves a permanent home area. The may remain reproductive until 12 years of age for females, and 20 years for males.
Description - The cougar is a large animal with fur that is short and reddish-brown to grey-brown with white on the underside; the tail is black-tipped. The head is fairly small with small, rounded ears and large feet. The average adult male weighs 125 pounds and the female 100 pounds. The cougar is the largest wild cat native to British Columbia.
Distribution - The cougar occurs in BC from the Canada/USA border to Big Muddy River on the Alaska Highway. Although they have not yet reached the Queen Charlotte Islands, they can be found on most other coastal islands. This animal is found only in the western hemisphere of the Americas generally in mountainous areas.
Biology - Although there is no fixed mating season, 1-6 young are usually born midsummer in a den where they are raised only with the female and remain with her for 1-2 years. The cougar is a strong, solitary, strongly territorial hunting species that requires an undisturbed game-rich wilderness. They feed on large animals to mice; the cougar is capable of killing a 600 pound moose or elk. An adult male needs no more than 14-20 mule deer per year to survive. The female cougar has a distinct scream that has been described as "nerve-wracking, demoniac, terror-striking, a trilling wail".
Tracks - The cougars tracks rarely show evidence of the claw. The front feet are larger than the rear and generally the toes spread wider with speed. A distinctive feature of this creature in snowy areas is tail marks on the snow.
Straddle: 20 cm (8 in)
Stride: 40 - 50 cm (16 - 20 in)
Track: 8 cm (3.2 in) long / 8 cm (3.2 in) wide
Misc.: The cougar has the greatest natural distribution of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere except for man.
The cougar is extremely agile and has great jumping power and may leap from the ground up to a height of 18 feet into a tree. It is a good swimmer but prefers not to enter the water. Sight is its most acute sense with a good sense of hearing, but is thought to have a poorly developed sense of smell.
Size and Appearance: The cougar is the largest cat in the genus "felis", and is comparable in size as the leopard. They vary in length from 59 ?108 inches with a tail length of 21 ?36 inches, and height from 23 ?28 inches at the shoulder. Weight can vary greatly, between 75 and 250 pounds. They have a long body with a small head, short face, and a long neck and tail. They are powerfully built, and the hind legs are larger than the front. The ears are small, short and rounded.
Habitat: The cougar thrives in montane, coniferous forests, lowland tropical forests, swamps, grassland, dry brush country, or any other area with adequate cover and prey.
Distribution: Western North America from British Columbia and south Alberta south through west Wyoming to California and west Texas. Also south Texas, Louisiana, south Alabama, Tennessee, and peninsular Florida.
Reproduction and Offspring: There is no fixed mating season, but in North America, the majority of births occur between late winter and early spring. Females tend to reproduce every other year, and give birth to litters of 1 ?6 (usually 2-3) kittens after a gestation of 90-96 days. Mothers give birth to their young in dens that are lined with moss or vegetation, usually in rock shelters, crevices, piles of rocks, thickets, caves, or some other protected place. Kittens weigh approximately 7-16 ounces at birth, and have spotted coats until they are around 6 months old. They will continue to nurse for 3 or more months, but will begin to take meat at 6 weeks. The kittens will remain with their mothers until they are 1-2 years old, and after separating, siblings will remain together for another 2-3 months. Females reach sexual maturity around 2.5 and males around 3 years. They will not begin to reproduce until they have established themselves a permanent home area. The may remain reproductive until 12 years of age for females, and 20 years for males.
Description - The cougar is a large animal with fur that is short and reddish-brown to grey-brown with white on the underside; the tail is black-tipped. The head is fairly small with small, rounded ears and large feet. The average adult male weighs 125 pounds and the female 100 pounds. The cougar is the largest wild cat native to British Columbia.
Distribution - The cougar occurs in BC from the Canada/USA border to Big Muddy River on the Alaska Highway. Although they have not yet reached the Queen Charlotte Islands, they can be found on most other coastal islands. This animal is found only in the western hemisphere of the Americas generally in mountainous areas.
Biology - Although there is no fixed mating season, 1-6 young are usually born midsummer in a den where they are raised only with the female and remain with her for 1-2 years. The cougar is a strong, solitary, strongly territorial hunting species that requires an undisturbed game-rich wilderness. They feed on large animals to mice; the cougar is capable of killing a 600 pound moose or elk. An adult male needs no more than 14-20 mule deer per year to survive. The female cougar has a distinct scream that has been described as "nerve-wracking, demoniac, terror-striking, a trilling wail".
Tracks - The cougars tracks rarely show evidence of the claw. The front feet are larger than the rear and generally the toes spread wider with speed. A distinctive feature of this creature in snowy areas is tail marks on the snow.
Straddle: 20 cm (8 in)
Stride: 40 - 50 cm (16 - 20 in)
Track: 8 cm (3.2 in) long / 8 cm (3.2 in) wide
