About the Cougar
The cougar (Puma concolor) is a mammal in the Felidae (cat) family. It is the most widely spread wild cat in the western hemisphere. Its range stretches all the way from Yukon in Canada down to the southern Andes of South America. Because they live in so many different places, cougars go by a huge list of names, puma, deer cat, mountain lion, mountain devil, red tiger, king cat, sneak cat, catamount, Mexican lion, panther, mountain screamer, and silver lion.
Cougars are more closely related to small cats than to big cats. They are the largest of the small cats, yet they are not counted as big cats. Unlike lions and tigers, cougars cannot roar. Instead they growl and chirp, just like smaller cats do. They have muscular legs, large feet, and a coat that is usually plain gray or tan, with a pink nose.
In English alone, there are over 40 names for the cougar, more than for any other animal! The cougar is the fourth heaviest cat in the world, behind the tiger, lion, and jaguar. In the Americas, it is the second heaviest wildcat, after the jaguar.
Cougar Distribution
Cougars range across parts of Canada, the United States, and most countries in South America. They used to live in almost every part of the United States. But as people moved into wild land, cougars lost huge amounts of their habitat and their numbers fell sharply. Today they have been pushed out of most of the country.
The cougar itself is listed as a "least concern" species, meaning it is not close to extinction. However, one of its sub-species, the Florida panther, is classified as "critically endangered."
Where Do Cougars Live?
Cougars can live anywhere from sea level all the way up to elevations of around 10,000 to 15,000 feet. They thrive in the cold forests of Canada, the rainforests of Brazil, the western United States, and the vast grassy plains (called the pampas) of Argentina. In fact, cougars can survive in tropical forests, swamps, grasslands, mountain conifer forests, and desert scrub. What matters most is having enough cover and enough prey.
Cougars prefer dense forests, coastal swamps, rocky cliffs, and mountain ranges. They tend to stay away from open areas without much vegetation to hide in. Even though cougar habitats can look very different from each other, they all share a few important things: plenty of prey animals, opportunities to sneak close to prey, and good stalk cover.
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Adequate Cover
Every cougar habitat has one thing in common: good cover. Cover is essential for two big reasons, hunting and raising cubs.
When hunting, a cougar stays hidden until it gets very close to its prey. Then it pounces and makes the kill. Without cover, the prey would spot the cougar far too early and escape. Most cougar habitats provide that cover through thick vegetation, rocks, and boulders. Cover also protects the cougar's young cubs from predators.
Abundance of Prey
Every animal settles where it can find enough food. For cougars, deer is the top choice. That is why cougar habitats often overlap with the habitats of deer and other prey, rabbits, moose, sheep, porcupines, capybaras, mice, and squirrels.
Interestingly, both deer and cougars like dense vegetation, but for different reasons. For the cougar, thick plants and bushes provide stalk cover to creep close unseen. For deer, that same cover is escape cover, a hiding place from hunters. What matters to the cougar is the density of the vegetation, not the type. Dense growth hides the cougar from prey while still letting it track the prey's movements.
Territory
Cougars live and hunt alone, they are solitary animals. The only exception is a mother traveling with her cubs. Each cougar claims its own territory, which is usually oval or circular in shape. Male territories are very large. Female territories are smaller and can overlap with the areas claimed by more than one male.
The size of a cougar's territory depends on how much food is available. If prey is scarce in an area, a cougar needs a bigger territory to find enough to eat.
Cougar Home
Cougars don't have a permanent den they always return to. Instead, they rest wherever nature provides shelter, caves, rocky outcrops, and dense vegetation all work well. In winter, cougars often move up into the mountains, mainly to follow the deer herds that are their main source of food.
Life Span
In the wild, cougars typically live 8 to 13 years. In captivity, where food is plentiful and danger is low, they can live up to 20 years.
Sub-species
Recent studies recognize around six sub-species of cougar: the Florida panther, North American cougar, Eastern cougar, Argentine cougar, Northern South American cougar, and Costa Rican cougar.
Cougars were once a common sight across nearly all of North and South America. Their habitat has shrunk since then, but cougars have avoided extinction, mainly because of their amazing ability to adapt to so many different environments. Conservation efforts are ongoing to make sure their numbers stay stable.
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Fun fact for today!The cougar has over 40 names in English alone, more than any other animal on Earth!