Cougar Facts!!

Some information on cougars!

Names:The large, tawny, long-tailed cat native to the New World probably has more common names than any other animal: cougar, puma, mountain lion, panther, painter, and catamount are the best known names in the United States, but several dozen additional names have been recorded across North and South America. All of the names refer to the same species of cat, whose current scientific name is Puma concolor couguar. The multiplicity of common names may have arisen from the extreme elusiveness of the cats, which made them very difficult to see and understand. Not until radio telemetry became available in the 1970s were wildlife researchers able to identify and track individual cougars to learn how they behaved.

Original Range:Cougars were native throughout most of the New World when European settlers arrived in the 15th century. Because cougars are powerful predators, settlers feared for their own safety and for their livestock. Cougars were hunted with dogs, harassed and persecuted until they were believed extirpated in the eastern United States and Canada by about 1900. Cougar populations in the West were also greatly diminished but have rebounded to some extent since the 1970s, when bounties on them were removed.

Characteristics:The Cougar has been described as Nature's Master of Silent Stealth and an almost Perfect Predator. They can sprint 35 mph in an ambush. Can jump 15 feet high & 40 feet broad jump. Can climb a tree and swim a river. Can kill a full grown deer & elk. And they can live up to 20 years.

Vision:They have binocular vision, which is important for depth perception and judging distances. Their eyes allow them to hunt both day and night.

Hearing:Cougars hearing is well developed and they are able to detect ultrasonic frequencies. The cup shaped rounded ears can move together or independently in the direction of sound to futher aid in hearing.

Smell:Cougars have a keen sense of smell and can easily follow scent trails. The back of the nasal cavity is densely packed with olfactory cells.

Sounds:Cougars make a variety of sounds including chirps, peeps, purrs, growls, moans, whistles and screams. Hear cougar sounds

Skull:The skull is short and rounded with powerful jaws and strong teeth. The heavy bones of the jaw and strong neck and shoulder muscles absorb the shock of attacking large prey.

Feet:Cougars have 4 toes on each foot. The front foot is larger than the back. They have 3 lobes on the back of the heel pad. Their large padded feet enable them to stalk without making noise.
Tracks:See Cougar Tracks: Cougar Tracks

Claws:Their claws are kept retracted, are extremely sharp and used for gripping prey.
Teeth:Cougars have 30 teeth. The canines are large and used for delivering a lethal bite. Their other teeth are specialized at slicing & shearing flesh. See Cougar's Teeth

Predatory Behavior:Cougars are solitary hunters, taking prey by ambush rather than long pursuits. They stay low to the ground and use available cover. Then when they get close enough, they explode with a powerful burst of speed and over take their quarry.

Diet:Deer are their main diet, but they will also accept smaller animals and birds.
Scat:See Cougar Scat: Cougar Scat

Home Range:Cougars are territorial and maintain their own home ranges. Sizes of these home ranges vary depending on the available prey and type of habitat. Usually males have the largest home ranges & it will overlap several females.

Reproduction:Cougars breed at about 2 years of age, with a gestation period of 3 months. The female raises the litter on her own, and teach them how to hunt and survive. The young stay with their mother until they are 17 to 23 months old, at which time they disperse and find their own territory.