Cougar

Cougar

 

Cougar Facts

Cougar - Puma concolor

 

Cougar Description

Many people think that the Cougar is a big cat but it is one of the smaller ones. The fact that is the second largest in that category though is why it is often misclassified by those not familiar with the various types of felines out there. The Cougar is a great looking animal with a body that is very lean. The shoulders are well defined and extremely powerful.

They have small heads and small ears. They have a very long tail that has a black tip on it. This tail is for balance and it can measure up to three feet for the adults. They are a light brown or light tan color. Some of them also have areas of silver, black, or gray on them. They have a huge variation in weight with the heaviest ones being 265 pounds. Typically they are on the smaller size and that can be as low as 115 pounds.

Cougar Anatomy

The small head of the Cougar is where they have powerful jaws. There are also rows of sharp teeth with the canines being pointed. They are built for speed with up to 40 miles per hour for short distances. They are able to rely on their smell and vision to help them find prey. They have the amazing ability to leap up to 45 feet in the air and 16 feet forward so they have the agility on their side that so many other animals lack.

Cougar Evolution

It is believed that the evolution process has something to do with the speed and agility of the Cougar. Were they once very large animals that had teeth several feet long? Many people believe the earlier version was very similar to that of the Saber Toothed Tiger. However, we simply don’t have enough information about the Cougar to give that theory credibility.

The fossil remains that we do have indicate that they were in Asia about 11 million years ago. These are highly adaptable animals and have been for millions of years. That is part of the reason why so many experts want to find out much more about the evolution process of the Cougar.

Cougar Behavior

This is an animal that enjoys being alone and being able to venture around its habitat. They don’t like company of each other with the exception of when they are mating. The females also are accepting of their young and do seem to enjoy caring for them and interaction. A great deal of the information we have about Cougar communications comes from observing the mothers with the young.

These felines don’t roar but they do use hissing, growling, and deep purring for communicating. They also have a piercing screaming sound that is generally offered during mating for the males and females to be able to find each other.

The Cougar is very aggressive when it comes to their territory and they will fight with each other to protect it. They will also attack humans that venture too far into that habitat. They don’t always attack as many of them will retreat when humans are around. Some believe the females are more likely to attack as they are trying to protect their young.

Cougar Habitat and Distribution

The fact that the body of the Cougar allows for them to live in a variety of habitats is influential for the rate of survival for them. There are more Cougars in the wild than other felines – about 50,000 of them. It is hard to get an accurate count though due to where they are spread out. You will find Cougars living in the mountains as well as on the plains. You will find them living in desert regions and in the forests. They also survive in swamp areas.

Where they live is determined by availability of food rather than the type of terrain or the temperatures. The fact that humans continue to take over the natural habitat of the Cougar means they are starting to be identified in regions where they never were in the past. That does make many humans uneasy. They never thought they would have to worry about such animals around them but the risk is always there with the Cougar.

Cougar Feeding Habits

For the Cougar a diet of only meat will do, and they will consume up to 10 pounds of it a day. They search for hoofed animals including deer and elk. In some regions they will also feed on big horned sheep. When these are hard to find they will also feed on rodents and birds. Since the Cougar can take down food supplies much bigger than themselves they will have food for several days at a time. They will hide the remains of it so that other predators aren’t able to benefit from it.

Problems with the Cougar consuming cattle, horses, and even domestic dogs has infuriated many. They don’t feel save around such locations with the Cougar there. Yet in many of these scenarios the humans have moved into territory where these animals used to freely hunt. In other areas though the Cougar has become a nuisance recently as they aren’t able to find food where they used to roam. They are moving into new areas in order to survive.

Cougar Reproduction

Several times per year a female can enter an estrus cycle. She will give of very strong smells and that brings the males to her. A female may mate with several males during the window of  7 to 10 days so there is a very good chance she will conceive. It also means that some of the young may have different fathers.

The females wait about 90 days before the young are born. At that time they will be in a den so that they can be well protected. They are very small at birth and won’t open their eyes for about 10 days. They drink milk that the mother’s body offers for the first three months of life. She may have up to six kittens to care for and has to leave them unattended so she can find herself food.

By the time they are six months of age they have emerged from the den. These Cougar kittens are very playful but they are also learning a great deal. They have to help with hunting when they are about six months of age. They need to be strong enough and skilled enough to hunt alone by the time they are two years old and have to leave their mother.

Cougar Predators

For the young the risk of predators is there when the mother is out getting food. She will do all she can to protect them from predators in her presence though. Sadly, only a small portion of the young will make it to adulthood. The adults have no predators in the wild but they continue to have more and more problems with humans.

The fact that the Cougar does require a very large home range – up to 100 miles, means that the actions of humans moving into such areas can be very difficult for them. They do adapt to changes but that often means they start to be in areas where humans are more and more often. That has led to hunting them and poisoning them in many areas.

The Cougar population has increased in some areas and people aren’t happy with that. They don’t want to have more of these aggressive animals to content with. The fact that they overlook though is that the Cougar has a natural instinct to survive. Humans have the choice of where they will live and where they will venture.

 

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