What is a Cougar? Puma is a cat animal
The king cat is found from the Yukon to Patagonia, and it is easier to answer the question of where the cougar lives in America, to answer where it does not live. The Guinness Book of Records included this unique animal among the world's achievements as the majestic creation of nature, which has the most names. In English-speaking countries alone, the beast has more than 40 names.
Cat species
The vastness of the geographical regions where the puma lives would make it possible to classify it as the most common feline species. But despite the external resemblance to representatives of this family, the puma is separated into a separate genus. And this genus included a single species with a huge number of subspecies.
A long tail that balances while jumping, a powerful body, strong paws and a small head make the puma a unique representative of a separate genus, one of the most widespread on earth. Residents of North and South America, from Patagonia to the Rocky Mountains, can meet this majestic animal in forests, plains, mountains, swamps and even tropical jungles. The only thing the cougar doesn't like is open spaces.
An adult animal reaches a length of up to 2 m. The weight of the animal can reach 106-110 kg. The tail is 0.8 m long. The animal's head is small. Such a powerful cat has very strong legs. Her muzzle usually has a white ending.
Color and habitat
North America and its climate have awarded the puma with a silvery tint of fur. In the more southern pampas, the animal's fur acquired a predominant golden-red hue. named after its primary habitat, smaller than the other subspecies, but also red, with a grayish-sandy tint. Its characteristic color also depends on the place where the puma lives.
Simple and precise names
The Florida cougar is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book. There was a time when there were only about 20 individuals left on the entire planet. The Wisconsin puma was destroyed by American hunters in 1925. Today, some subspecies of nature’s beautiful creation are teetering on the verge of complete extinction, the reason for this is man shooting the mountain lion, destroying its natural habitats.
The prevalence of geographical latitudes where representatives of a particular species can be found has led to the fact that in many places the animal received poetic and inaccurate names. Only some subspecies are named after their habitat. You must always remember that the puma is an animal. Where this forest beauty lives depends on its species. Other names were given to it in different regions by people who were delighted or frightened by its power, beauty, mystery, and outstanding hunting abilities.
Names are poetic and imprecise
The opportunity to meet a formidable predator on a night hunt or during the day, in the gentle sun, gave rise to awe, delusion, and adoration. For example, the Appalachian Mountains, where the puma lives, led to the fact that in those places they call it, and in the rest of America, especially in the West, where this animal was considered a symbol of endless expanses, they called it differently:
- mountain devil;
- royal cat;
- red tiger;
- silver lion;
- Mexican lion;
- deer cat.
Biologists count about 30 subspecies of the red tiger, but they all live in North and South America, which is why the puma is also lovingly called the largest cat in America. Man continues to gradually reduce the range of places where the puma lives. The mainland of North America dubbed the puma the puma, borrowing the name of the majestic animal from the Quechua language, and two entire subspecies were practically destroyed there.
Two continents of habitation
Beautiful and majestic, capable of dragging the carcass of an animal killed by hunting and weighing more than the hunter, the puma differs in subspecies depending on the place where it lives. The answer to the question of what kind of animal the puma lives, where it lives (on which continent), suggests two options and two continents - North and South America. Its subspecies differ in their American habitats:
- Puma concolor browni - in Mexico.
- Puma concolor costaricensis - Panama to Nicaragua.
- Puma concolor kaibabensis - in Utah, Nevada and Northern Arizona.
- Puma concolor osgoodi - in Bolivia, in the Andes.
- Puma concolor soderstromi, - in Ecuador and so on.
Ridiculously little is known about the existence of some subspecies, mainly Latin American. They are described from eyewitness accounts, poor and few blurry photographs, and from a few obtained skins. Sometimes a naturalist can determine by looking at a trophy, but where the animal lives and how the skin was obtained is unknown.
The external resemblance of a mountain lion can be seen with different animals and sometimes it is even possible to get a hybrid of a puma and a leopard or with an ocelot and a jaguar. But this is an artificial crossing, which does not happen in the wild, where the jaguar is one of the main enemies of the red tiger, and the latter is forced to avoid the jaguar’s usual habitats. In a certain way, the panther is similar to the cougar. But if you look closely, the puma resembles a domestic cat much more.
Little blind kittens
From 2 to 6 kittens are born, and, like a real cat, they are small, blind and completely helpless. And although they can hunt on their own already at 9 months, the female takes care of them until almost 2 years. All this happens in a different hemisphere and in a different animal world, and in different conditions, but in appearance small pumas resemble an ocelot, a jaguar, and a panther, because they are born spotted. Only as they grow older do they acquire the characteristic color of their species, and the spots disappear. This is a native inhabitant of America, and it is named in the language of the native inhabitants of America - puma. Where does it live in Russia? It simply doesn’t exist in Russia. Maybe only at the zoo.
Even in the zoo, pumas hide their cubs from prying eyes and take them out for walks only when they are one month old.
Food and habitat
Proud, huge, magnificent, a real royal cat - if necessary, it can even eat snails and insects. Small things like marmots, small birds, coyotes, anteaters and even snakes are not the main food, but a light, filling snack.
The natives sincerely believed that the puma lives only where there are deer, but in certain habitats it hunts armadillos. When hunting, her favorite method is an ambush attack, and the royal cat looks especially great in a jump.
Puma is a predator. She hunts animals of various sizes, from sparrows and mice to deer, bulls and monkeys. Usually the animal chooses night time for hunting. During the day, like all felines, she loves to bask in the sun. The pregnancy of such a cat lasts 3 months. The lifespan of a puma is 18-20 years.
Destructive human activity in relation to wild nature has led to the fact that a magnificent animal, a representative of a separate species, is in some places under the threat of complete extinction. And this is especially bitter to realize, remembering his intelligence, beauty, grace and uniqueness.
There are all kinds of cats in the world - from small and fluffy pets to formidable and extremely dangerous predators belonging to the feline family. One of the representatives of this large family is the puma - a graceful, strong and very beautiful animal.
Distribution and subspecies
In ancient times, the puma's habitat was considered very extensive among all mammals in the United States of America. And even today, in terms of the breadth of its distribution, this graceful cat is comparable (from the cat family) only to the forest cat, the red lynx and the handsome leopard. Nowadays, in America and Canada, the puma is preserved mainly in the mountainous regions in the west of the country. In the east, the puma was completely exterminated. The only exception is a very small population of the rare subspecies Puma concolor coryi, which lives in Florida.
According to eyewitness accounts, today the cougar is often found in the province of Quebec in Canada and in Vermont (USA).
Florida cougar
This is the rarest puma. The animal, whose wild population was only 160 individuals in 2011, lives in the swamps and forests of southern Florida. Its rapid disappearance is explained by the draining of swamps, poisoning, and sport hunting.
The Florida cougar is relatively small in size. The coat color is reddish, dark. As a result of inbreeding, the puma acquired a curved tail tip. Currently, American scientists are going to cross Florida pumas with representatives of other subspecies in order to create a stable, self-regulating population.
Black cougar
In nature, there are white cougars, as well as dark brown individuals that are found in America. The black puma is a rather mythical animal. Scientists say that the black puma and the melanistic puma do not exist in nature.
Previously, there were reports of the discovery of melanistic pumas, leucists, and albinos. Reports of black cougars have come from South and Central America. A black cougar killed in Costa Rica in 1959 was found to be dark brown, not black.
A black cougar was reported to have been spotted in Kentucky, but it was later discovered that the cat had a lighter belly. This means that the animal was dark brown in color.
A cougar with a black face, throat and chest was shot and killed in Idaho in the fall of 2007. She had a black spot behind her ear, which was recognized by scientists as a phenomenon of partial melanism. To officially confirm this fact, a cougar with known parents and kept in captivity is required. Therefore, today data on the existence of black pumas have not yet been confirmed.
External features
The puma is an animal whose description can be found in all publications devoted to the life of predators. Not only experts, but also ordinary animal lovers are interested in the habits of these beauties.
One of the largest predators from the cat family that lives in the United States today is the cougar. The animal is second in size only to the jaguar. This cat has a body length of up to 180 cm, with a tail length of 75 cm. The height at the withers reaches 76 cm. The weight of an adult male is approximately 105 kg. Females are 30% smaller than males.
The puma is an animal with a flexible and elongated body, low paws and a small head. The hind legs are much more massive than the front legs. The tail is muscular, long, and evenly pubescent.
The paws are wide, ending in sharp, retractable, curved claws. The fingertips are oval.
Coat and color
The puma (photos of the animal can be seen in all reference books about predators) has thick, short and coarse fur. Cougars are the only cats in America that are solid in color.
Adult animals have grayish-brown or brownish-yellow fur. In this case, the lower side of the body is much lighter than the upper. The color of pumas is similar to the color of their main prey - deer. There are light tan marks on the throat, chest and belly, and black spots on the muzzle. The ears are dark, the tail ends with a black spot. Pumas living in tropical areas are red, while northern ones are gray in color.
Cubs have much thicker fur. She has dark stripes, spots on her hind and forelimbs, and rings on her tail.
Lifestyle
Pumas live in different areas - from plains to fairly high mountains (4700 m), in different landscapes - in coniferous forests of the mountains, on grassy plains, in the pampas. In a word, the puma is an animal that lives in any area. She just has to find enough food and safe shelter there.
These wild animals try to avoid wetlands and lowlands. The puma gives such territories to jaguars, which have chosen such places. These predators are well adapted to life in rough terrain. Muscular limbs allow them to jump up to six meters in length and up to two and a half meters in height. When running, pumas reach speeds of up to 50 km/h (though only over short distances).
The puma (you can see a photo of the animal in our article) is an animal that prefers to live alone. Families are formed only during the marriage period. Population density depends on the availability of game.
The female's hunting range ranges from 26 to 350 square kilometers. A male's home range can cover a huge area of up to 760 square kilometers. In its area, the puma moves in accordance with the season. In winter it can be in one area, and in summer in another.
Hunting
The cougar comes out at night to hunt for prey. Its diet consists mainly of ungulates - deer, elk, bighorn sheep. She will not refuse livestock either.
At the same time, the cougar feeds on a variety of animals - from squirrels and mice to lynxes, coyotes and even cougars. Unlike leopards and tigers, the puma does not make any distinction between domestic and wild animals, often attacking livestock, cats, and dogs. At the same time, it kills much more living creatures than it can eat.
When hunting, a cougar uses the factor of surprise - it sneaks up on large prey and, from a fairly close distance, jumps on the back of its victim, breaking its neck. The puma consumes up to 1300 kg of meat per year. Predators hide the remains of their prey by covering it with brushwood, leaves or snow. They can return to this storage repeatedly.
The puma is a very strong and resilient animal that is capable of dragging a carcass that is five to seven times its own weight over a long distance.
In nature, pumas have no enemies. Only occasionally large predators (grizzlies, jaguars, wolves) attack young and sick individuals.
Attacks on people
Unlike other predators, pumas rarely attack humans. They prefer to avoid meeting him. Since 1890, approximately 100 attacks on humans have been officially recorded in the United States and Canada. Sixteen of them were fatal. The attacks occurred at night or at dusk.
Far from our country, in America, there lives a wild cat, which is included in the Guinness Book of Records as a mammal with the maximum number of names. Mountain lion, deer tiger, silver lion, cougar, panther - there are more than 40 names in English and as many more in the indigenous languages of the two American continents. In our country this predatory animal is better known as the puma. The caution, cunning and wild beauty of the puma have attracted people's attention since ancient times. And sometimes pumas are even tamed and kept as pets, although this is not safe - the instincts of a predator can at any moment take precedence over good manners and affection for the owners.
History of the discovery of the species
The puma belongs to the predatory mammals of the cat family. In Latin, its designation sounds like puma concolor, where puma is the name of the cat, coming from the language of the American Quechua Indians, and concolor is translated as monochrome and reflects the monochromatic color of an adult animal - silver (in the northern regions) or reddish (in the southern regions). Close relatives of the puma are the jaguarundi and the extinct cheetah Miracinonyx from North America. Despite its considerable size, the puma is one of the small cats that cannot growl due to the complete hardening of the hyoid bone.
Jaguarundi is a small predatory cat, the closest relative of the puma
One of the first descriptions of the puma was made in 1553 by Pedro Cieza de Leon, a Spanish traveler and geographer, in the book Chronicle of Peru. This book can be considered the first encyclopedia on the geography, botany and zoology of South America.
Indian tribes paid a lot of attention to these animals, but in different ways: the Incas saw pumas as associated with the deity of sky and thunder, the Apaches considered their cries to be harbingers of death, and among the Cherokees, pumas were a sacred animal and were inviolable. The name puma was often included in a person's complex name to give him strength and agility.
The Spaniards, who came to the South American continent at the end of the 16th century, experienced problems with pumas: they happily hunted cattle, and the Indians forbade the destruction of predatory cats. Even a whole bull as a gift for a killed puma could not change the opinion of the local population. The Indians hung the claws of the beast in their homes, thus driving away evil spirits. And about the sacred animal’s hunting of livestock, they said this: “The puma is a poor child who has taken the wrong path.”
The beauty and grace of the puma delighted settlers of the New World for many centuries, and its agility and cunning made them constantly fear this beautiful predator.
In ancient times, the living space of cougars was very extensive: from southern Alaska to the Strait of Magellan. After the conquest of America by white people, pumas were hunted everywhere, first to protect livestock, and then for the sake of beautiful skins and meat. They even gave a bonus for the killed individual. And only in the 20th century, when predators were on the verge of extinction, hunting for pumas was prohibited and numerous reserves appeared.
Now the puma species includes 6 subspecies, differing in size and color. Cougars live in the mountainous regions of North and South America, on plains, and less often in forests and swampy areas.
Description of the puma
The puma is a fairly large predator; in America it ranks second in size, after the jaguar. However, different subspecies differ in size - the smallest ones live closer to the equator, and the largest ones live closer to the poles. A powerful physique with massive hind legs allows the puma to make long (up to 10 meters) and high (up to 2.5 meters) jumps and develop significant speed over short distances (up to 50 km per hour).
External data: color, eye color and anatomical features
The length of a puma without a tail can be from 100 to 180 cm, and its weight can be up to 100 kg. Females are about a third smaller than males in size and weight. The height of the animal at the withers is 60–80 cm. The body is powerful, but flexible, reminiscent of a lion. The body is elongated, the legs are low, the hind legs are more massive than the front ones. The paw pads are wide, equipped with retractable hook-shaped claws, the hind ones have 4 toes, and the front ones have five. Such claws allow the puma to climb trees well, as well as hold prey, and wide paws help to move effectively in the snow. The well-furred, strong and long tail gives it balance during outstanding jumps.
A puma is able to overcome a huge chasm with a graceful leap.
The head is small, small erect ears are round in shape, the nose is large and wide. Expressive eyes are brown or golden in color, often beautifully outlined with a dark line, as are the nose and mouth. The teeth are well developed; the age of the animal is determined by their preservation and color. The canines are used to capture prey, and the incisors are used to destroy tissue and bones of the victim.
The puma has a beautiful face with natural makeup and a calm gaze
The puma's fur is thick, short and hard, the color is uniform grayish-brown, dark yellow or red, but with tints: on the stomach, throat and chest it is lighter than on the upper parts of the body, there are black spots on the muzzle, the ears are darker than the main color, the tip of the tail is also dark. Interestingly, the colors of cougars are very similar to the color of their potential victims - deer.
The cubs have much thicker fur, softer and fluffier, covered with spots and stripes, with rings on the tail, and blue eyes.
In puma cubs, the eyes are blue for up to six months, then gradually fade to yellow or brown.
Character
The puma is known for its secretive, quiet and non-conflicting character, but it has plenty of courage and bravery. Cougars have been known to fight and defeat grizzly bears and alligators. Moreover, she will not miss the opportunity to feast on their meat.
These predatory cats are excellent at hiding and successfully avoiding humans, which makes their study for scientific purposes problematic. Cougars do not show aggression towards people, except when they behave threateningly or interfere with hunting. They usually attack at night or at dusk, but can also go hunting during the day.
Unlike many large cats, cougars rarely attack humans, preferring to avoid them. From 1890 to January 2004, approximately one hundred attacks were reported in the United States and Canada, the vast majority of which occurred on Vancouver Island alone. The victims were predominantly children or short people, and the attacks occurred at dusk or at night. Cougars can easily develop an attack reflex if a person moves quickly and is alone.
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The Cougar has a fair amount of patience. If a tiger, having fallen into a trap, goes crazy and may even bite off its paw, then the puma will calmly and persistently try to free itself, and if it fails, it may sit motionless for several days.
Pumas move well in trees and are able to catch a bird or monkey there
Cougars lead a solitary lifestyle and do not interact with members of their own species. They specially mark their personal territory and do not allow other cougars into it. Moreover, the area of the puma’s property can be tens or even hundreds of square kilometers. Moments of communication for mountain lions occur only during the mating season, and for females also during cohabitation with cubs. By the way, disputes regarding the boundaries of territories occur extremely rarely - cougars prefer good neighborly relations. They spend their entire lives alone in their hunting territory.
Young animals that do not yet have a personal area and adult animals that have lost their possessions due to the rapid activity of people are called “transit individuals.” They are forced to travel in search of free territory that will become their new home. They try to overcome foreign lands faster, without getting into fights or laying claim to them.
Lifestyle
The puma can live in various areas: in the mountains and on grassy plains, in forests and steppes, even in wetlands, the main thing for it is the possibility of successful hunting in this territory. The puma perfectly jumps, runs, climbs trees and mountain slopes, does not freeze in the snow and swims well. Cougars' personal territories can be huge, especially for males - up to 700 square kilometers. In winter, the puma makes its den in one place, and in summer in another. She marks the boundaries of her possessions with the help of scratches - scratches on trees and the ground, as well as urine and droppings, and other cougars try to quickly move away from this piece of land after noticing such marks.
Puma hunts at night. During the day, she most often sleeps in her den or on a tree. But hunger can force her to go hunting even during daylight hours. True, in this case the process becomes much more complicated, since the deer constantly scan the area in search of danger and often manage to take off before the predator jumps. The best time for hunting is a moonless night, because the puma sees in the dark 6 times better than a person.
Cougar food
At dusk, the puma comes out in search of food. It attacks from ambush, jumps on the victim's back and tries to immediately bite its neck. Classic prey for pumas are ungulates, such as elk, deer, guanacos, and bighorn sheep. Their share in the puma’s diet is more than half.
The main food for predatory cats is various types of ungulates
The predator can attack livestock and even cats and dogs, for which American farmers strongly dislike it. It does not disdain smaller prey: coyotes, foxes, rabbits, squirrels, gophers, hares, mice, birds, fish and even insects and snails. However, the cougar has a tendency to kill more animals than it can eat.
Natural intelligence allows the cougar to cope with an armadillo, porcupine, snake or skunk. The puma does not like to swim, but at the same time it swims well and can catch fish.
The puma hides the remains of its prey in bushes, grass or snow, trying to completely cover the meat. Sometimes vultures specifically watch it from above and eat the carcass as soon as the puma leaves. In addition to vultures, foxes, coyotes and many other animals can do this, since the cougar is a link in their food chain. Moreover, the Indians did the same in ancient times - they found cougar hiding places and took the meat for themselves.
The puma has significant strength and endurance and is capable of dragging a dead victim over a long distance, the weight of which is 5 times the weight of the puma.
The buck kills approximately one deer per week, and feeds on the stored carcass for several days while staying nearby. But if the meat is found and eaten by other animals, then he has to start hunting again.
In a year, a cougar eats about a ton of meat, which is approximately 50 ungulates.
The mountain lion itself never eats meat obtained by other animals. It feeds only on its own victims.
Reproduction and care of offspring
Sexual maturity of female cougars occurs at 2.5 years, and for males at 3 years. The mating season takes place twice a year - in winter and summer. Only at this time are cougars ready to allow a representative of their species to approach them. The male searches for the female in her territory and for 7–10 days they live together, mating and hunting together.
During the mating season, cougars live and hunt together for 1–2 weeks
Then the male leaves and continues his search, his biological task is to fertilize as many females as possible. He does not return and does not take any part in caring for the cubs. And in case of pregnancy, the female makes a den for herself in the rocks or between the roots of trees.
Most cubs are born in January and August. The female's pregnancy lasts about 9 weeks, the number of kittens in the litter is two or three, very rarely four or five.
Babies are born blind and completely helpless, the weight of a newborn kitten is from 200 to 500 grams, body length up to 30 cm. Initially, the color of kittens is clearly spotted, it begins to gradually fade from 3 months of age. Only by the age of one and a half years the spots completely disappear and the color becomes uniform like the mother’s.
The fur color of babies is dark, with spots all over the body - for camouflage from other predators
Kittens' eyes open at about 14 days of age, at which time they begin to actively crawl and explore their home. Puma milk is very fatty and has a high calorie content, so the babies’ weight quickly increases. At 2 weeks of age, the cubs begin to develop their first teeth, and they begin to eat meat at approximately 6 weeks.
From 6 weeks of age, puma kittens begin to eat meat, which is brought into the den by a caring mother.
First, the female hunts near the den, trying not to leave the kittens alone for a long time. But as the cubs grow up, she goes further and further, and from the age of 2 months, she takes the kittens with her to hunt and begins to teach everything she knows.
The social life of cougars is limited to their childhood and adolescence, when they live with their brothers and sisters, play and hunt together.
After a few more months, the mother leaves the kittens, and they are forced to begin an independent life. The cubs stay together for some time, but then disperse and look for free territory for themselves. This is quite difficult, because adult cougars, defending their hunting grounds, at best drive away, and at worst kill, young relatives. Moreover, males have a more difficult time than females: they conflict with everyone, and it is young, inexperienced cougars that most often attack livestock and people.
The spots on young cougars fade with age and disappear completely by 1.5–2 years.
Lifespan in the wild
The average lifespan of pumas in the wild is 10 to 15 years; in zoos, pumas can live up to 20 years.
The population density of cougars ranges from 1 to 12 animals per 80 square kilometers.
In nature, pumas have virtually no enemies. In the northern regions it can compete for prey with wolves or brown bears, in the southern regions with the jaguar, and in Florida with the Mississippi alligator. A jaguar is quite dangerous for a puma and will most likely win in a direct confrontation, so the puma tries not to enter into conflict with it. The puma rarely encounters bears, since they feed not only on meat, but also on plant foods, but wolves, huddled in a pack, are capable of killing the puma. In turn, she can kill and eat a lone wolf that has strayed from the pack.
Often predators do not risk contacting adult cougars, and may even lose their prey to them, but puma cubs are a welcome delicacy for them. Therefore, most heroic battles with other predators go to females protecting their kittens.
Protecting the cubs, the female can engage in battle with any enemy and defeat him: there are known cases when a puma coped with a bear and an alligator
Video: Puma in the wild
Puma habitat and role in the ecosystem
Cougars are found in North and South America. In North America, these animals are preserved mainly in mountainous regions in the west, and in South America they are quite widespread. Eyewitnesses claim that the cougar is still found in Quebec (Canada) and Vermont (USA).
According to the modern classification, based on genetic research, there are 6 subspecies, tied to geographical areas:
Puma concolor couguar - North America (from southern Canada to Guatemala and Belize);
Puma concolor costaricensis - Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama);
Puma concolor capricornensis - eastern South America (from the southern coast of the Amazon in Brazil to Paraguay);
Puma concolor concolor - northern part of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia);
Puma concolor cabrerae - central South America (northeast Argentina, Uruguay);
Puma concolor puma - southern part of South America (Chile, southwest Argentina).
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The rarest cougar in the world is called the Florida cougar or Puma concolor coryi. It is listed in the Red Book as an endangered species - now there are only 150-200 individuals in the world, and active work is underway in Florida to preserve and restore the population of the Florida puma. The rapid disappearance of the subspecies occurred due to active drainage of the swamps that are the habitat of Florida cougars, environmental pollution and sport hunting for these animals.
The Florida cougar is distinguished by its small size and dark red fur, as well as a curved tail tip.
In South and Central America, there is evidence of the discovery of white and black pumas. However, upon closer examination of these cases, it turns out that black cougars are dark brown or only certain parts of the animal’s body are painted black (muzzle, chest). White pumas (albinos) most likely do exist, as do many other predator species.
Settlers to the New World, starting in the mid-19th century, massacred mountain lions as they slaughtered their livestock. In addition, humans have significantly changed the habitat of wild animals, as a result of which the number of tailless deer, the main prey of pumas in North America, has decreased. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were very few pumas left, and after another 60 years, several subspecies practically disappeared.
Recently, the eastern puma Puma concolor cougar was declared extinct in the United States, since for many years this species has not been encountered by humans, even in the inaccessible mountainous regions of North America.
Unreasonable human activity has upset the balance of North American ecosystems, and the first to feel the consequences are the same farmers. For example, overly proliferated armadillos, which were previously actively eaten by pumas, dug numerous holes into which domestic cows and horses constantly fell, broke their legs and died.
Nowadays, white-tailed deer have proliferated in North America, becoming a nuisance to local ecosystems.
White-tailed deer are the main prey of mountain lions
Deer eat vegetation, including that where songbirds live, causing their numbers to decline. This is just one of many examples of a violation of the natural balance. Experts in the field of biology and ecology are calling for restoring the balance of North American ecosystems by reintroducing pumas and dholes into the wild (these animals, like cougars, are on the verge of extinction).
Life of a puma in captivity
Nowadays, it has become fashionable to keep wild animals in homes, including predatory cats. Pumas are no exception, and on the Internet you can find offers for the sale of cubs, as well as reviews and videos about keeping pumas in captivity.
A puma in the house often behaves like an ordinary cat
But having decided to take such a step, you need to understand that living together with a puma will not be easy; this will require a special room or enclosure, expensive food, veterinary support and much more. In addition, even a tamed puma remains a wild animal, obeying natural instincts, so no one can guarantee complete safety for other pets, as well as for the owners themselves.
Adult pumas cannot be tamed, so we are talking only about cubs.
As for zoos, cougars are found there very often, exist and reproduce safely. They are widely represented in our Russian zoos.
Features of care
Naturalists who have studied the puma claim that it is quite suitable for the role of a pet and gets along well with cats and dogs living in the house, but it cannot resist hunting birds. Therefore, if there are chickens, ducks or geese on the farm, the owner of a cougar freely roaming around the yard will have to come to terms with the periodic loss of the bird. Cougar kittens are fed milk and boiled meat; they eat cereals and vegetables only if cooked in meat broth.
Small pumas are fed milk, then gradually transferred to boiled, and then to raw meat As pumas grow older, they switch to raw meat. The predator eats about 2 kg of raw meat per day, the best option is beef.
If you don't give your cougar meat, it will get sick.
Like many other cats, before eating raw meat, the cougar licks it, and after eating it thoroughly washes itself and sleeps for several hours.
The cougar needs to be given plenty of water, as well as fresh grass or special vitamin supplements, which the veterinarian will recommend.
The behavior of puma cubs in the house does not differ from ordinary kittens; they play a lot, especially with moving objects, communicate with other pets, and are affectionate towards people. At the same time, small spotted pumas look very funny and attractive. They can make interesting sounds, more like chirping birds than meowing. When in a good mood, cougars can purr like cats, snort out of fear, and grumble out of irritation.
A puma can and should be taken out for walks on a leash; this gives it the opportunity to be in its natural environment - a forest or park. A grown-up puma should be transferred to an enclosure, since an adult animal will cause a lot of problems in a house or city apartment. A private house or cottage with a large fenced area and equipped enclosures is more suitable for the life of any predatory feline.
The puma feels good being in a spacious outdoor enclosure or walking around the yard, but in an ordinary apartment she is bored and cramped
The cougar will patiently endure procedures for caring for its fur, ears, eyes and claws only if it has been accustomed to them since childhood. The puma's claws are long and sharp, so when keeping the animal in the house, they will have to be trimmed regularly.
Video: cougar in a city apartment
Number and protection of pumas
Thanks to active work to preserve cougars as a species, hunting them is now limited or prohibited in most countries.
True, despite the prohibitions, people still exterminate pumas because they hunt livestock. The rarest and smallest species are placed in nature reserves, such as the Florida puma - the only subspecies listed in the Red Book with the status of “critically endangered”. The fact is that the forests of Florida continue to rapidly disappear and local cougars cannot exist normally and bear offspring. Therefore, people create reserves in which they control the life and reproduction of cougars using special radio transmitters placed on the animals’ bodies. Now scientists are actively working on crossing the Florida cougar with other subspecies. If these attempts are successful and the species can be restored, then cougars will be introduced into other American states.
The largest reserve where Florida cougars live is called Big Cypress National Preserve and is located in the swamps and forests of the south of the American state of Florida. Three subspecies of puma are listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora): coryi, costaricensis, couguar. Human efforts have led to the fact that the current population of pumas in North America, which almost completely disappeared in the 20th century, is about 30,000 individuals and is gradually spreading to the east and south. Pumas reproduce well and are able to live in various natural zones, so they are not yet in danger of extinction
. In South America, pumas were not hunted as actively, so they are quite widespread there.
Wide paws allow the puma to successfully move through snowdrifts Thick fur saves the cougar from the cold in frosty puma cubs always have spotted coloring to camouflage themselves from predators The puma’s favorite method of attack is an unexpected jump from an ambush The look of the puma is distinguished by dignity and royal grandeur In nature, the puma drinks less, than at home, since part of the liquid is obtained from the blood of victims. The puma jumps better than all other predatory cats. Like domestic cats, the cougar likes to climb into suitable-sized containers. Most often, the puma brings 2-3 kittens. Puma kittens have bright colors and cute faces, causing people want to have such a cute creature at home
Nature has generously endowed mountain lions with strength and agility: they easily climb trees and are able to jump from a height of several floors without consequences, they swim well and know how to fish, they can gracefully overcome a huge abyss and catch up with a running ostrich. The main enemy of this predator is man, who over two centuries has exterminated most of the pumas living on the planet. Now people have come to their senses and are taking numerous measures to restore the species. Let's hope that everything will work out and pumas will once again occupy their natural niche in North and South America.
Among the representatives of the cat family, the puma is considered one of the most graceful and powerful. The first written descriptions of pumas date back to the 16th century. They are also called cougars or mountain lions. In the Latin name Puma concolor, the second word means “one color”. The animal is named so because there is no pattern in its color. But the puma does not look completely black, since its fur in the area of its mouth and chin is white, and its belly is lighter than its back and sides.
Habitat
The puma animal is distributed throughout America. In fact, the habitat of the cougar coincides with the habitat of its main food - deer. Previously, these animals were noticed from the southern territories of Patagonia to southeastern Alaska. Currently, cougars are primarily found in the western United States and Canada in mountainous areas. And in the east they have been completely exterminated - only a very small population has survived in Florida.
Appearance
In common habitats with other feline mammals, only the jaguar is larger than the puma. The length of the puma's body itself is 1.2-1.7 meters, and together with the tail - about 2.5 meters. At the withers, an adult is 60-75 cm. The body weight of an adult animal is 75-100 kg. Males are significantly larger than females – by almost 30% in all respects.
- The puma's body is elongated and flexible. On a not very large head there are small ears with rounded tips. The legs are not very long, but powerful, and the hind legs are more developed than the front ones. The number of toes on the hind legs is 4, on the front legs – 5.
- This cat's gaze is captivating. The cougar carefully looks at everything around it with beautiful hazel-colored eyes outlined in black. The color of the iris can also be gray or green.
- The puma's fur is short and hard, with a thick undercoat. On the neck and chest, the black fur has a reddish tint, the ears and tip of the tail are almost black. Sometimes there may be white markings on the neck, chest and belly. In general, the entire lower body is much lighter than the top.
In representatives of different habitats, different shades predominate in color - from red, brownish-yellowish and sandy to grayish-brown. This depends on the climate - for example, in the north of America the color is characterized by silvery tints, and in the south and in the tropics - red tones.
Puma cubs have a different coloring - thick fur is strewn with very dark spots, there are stripes on the front and hind legs, and the tail has “rings”.
This predator has strong teeth. The animal puma grabs prey with its fangs, and with its incisors it bites bones and tears flesh. The age of an animal can be determined by its teeth.
The puma animal moves quickly and deftly, and when jumping it uses its muscular tail for balancing.
Lifestyle and habits
The black puma animal is a predatory wild mammal. Cougars live solitary lives - alone. Only during the mating season do they find a partner. Then loud cries are heard around the area, indicating that a pair has formed and there will soon be offspring.
The puma marks the area chosen for residence along the boundaries with urine and leaves scratches on tree trunks. Cougars settle only in places where good hunting is possible and there is enough shelter. These are forested areas and plains covered with tall grass.
The population density is directly dependent on the “food” found in a given area - on average, per 80 square meters. km – 1-12 animals. Males cover a hunting territory of 100-750 square meters. km, females have smaller areas - 30-300 sq. km. The distance of travel depends on the time of year. Animals spend the winter and summer periods in different areas.
Cougars come out to hunt at dusk and, with lightning speed, knock down their prey in one leap. During the day they sleep in their dens, bask in the sun and lick their fur, like all cats.
These predators deftly climb mountain slopes, climb tree branches and can swim well. The puma's jump length is up to 6 m, and its height is more than 2 m. The speed of movement is 50 km/h. A puma can drag away prey in its teeth, the mass of which is 5-7 times greater than its own.
Nutrition
Mountain lions primarily hunt deer and elk. They may attack bighorn sheep (a type of sheep), caribou (small reindeer) or lynx. They also feed on small forest animals - squirrels, raccoons, muskrats, and beavers. If a puma lives near human habitation, then its prey may be a pig or a dog. They even eat mice, frogs, snails and insects.
Thanks to the speed it develops, the puma can easily catch up with the ostrich, and its ability to jump allows it to catch monkeys. If the prey is larger than the puma itself, then in a powerful jump the predator knocks it down, breaks its back with its weight or gnaws its throat. But the fact is that the cougar can not eat all killed animals and sometimes hunts for the sake of the process itself, and not for the purpose of getting food. On average, an adult eats about 1.3 tons of meat per year - this is approximately 50 ungulates. The puma buries the uneaten remains of carcasses in fallen branches and foliage or buries them in the snow. This animal remembers the place and often returns to finish eating. Being aware of this, the Indians took advantage of the opportunity - they waited for the mountain lion to leave the cache on its own business, and took the meat.
Reproduction
The mating period for pumas is short: a pair is formed for only 1-2 weeks. Only those females that have their own area reproduce. For several females there is one male - he takes turns visiting nearby territories.
Pregnancy lasts 82-96 days. 2-3 kittens are born, but sometimes as many as 6. The body weight of a newborn is 250-450 g, body length is 25-30 cm. The kittens' eyes open on the 10th day, at the same time they begin to hear and their teeth erupt . The color of the skins is spotted, and the tails have dark rings. As they grow older - by about 9 months of age - the spots and rings disappear, and by 2 years the color becomes completely even.
At 1.5 months, the kittens' teeth have almost grown in - they are able to feed themselves, but still continue to feed on their mother's milk. At this time, the female has the most difficult period, since she has to get meat not only for herself, but also for the babies. That is, the production volume should be three times greater.
Puma cubs live with their mother for up to 1.5-2 years, and then go off to look for their own areas. At first they stay in a group, and when they reach maturity, they leave their brethren. Females become fertile at 2.5 years, males at 3 years.
Under natural conditions, pumas live 15-18 years. In captivity - more than 20 years.
Natural enemies
There are almost none of them, with the exception of large predators - wolves, alligators and jaguars, and then only if the puma is weakened by disease, is old or is a young inexperienced individual.
Cases of cougars attacking people are rare. A puma will attack a person only if he is running or appears suddenly, that is, when the animal is perceived as an aggressor. This usually happens at dusk or at night - when the animal is in hunting hours. Basically, cougars, on the contrary, avoid meeting people.
Cougars have strong nerves and great patience - when caught in a trap, they do not fight, like tigers, for example, but patiently free themselves from their bonds, and can do this for several days.
Puma is a pet: is it possible and is it worth keeping them at home? The experience of the Berberov family in the 80s of the last century was so unsuccessful that the story ended in tragedy. But lovers of exotics and followers of the fashion for keeping unusual wild animals, provided that it is possible to ensure the safety of their household, today can afford to keep a puma animal in captivity.
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Cougars or mountain lions- lat. Puma concolor. We all know well from childhood that the lion is the king of beasts. It turns out that in addition to the king of animals, there is also a mountain lion - this is what the puma is usually called. This strong animal from the cat family can be called the mountain king of beasts.
There are about 25-30 subspecies of pumas. They differ in their habitat, coat color and some features of their body structure. The rarest species is the Florida cougar. The number of individuals of this species is only 25-50. Habitat: Florida (USA). Its extinction is associated with large-scale drainage of swamps and hunting for them.
The Wisconsin cougar became extinct by 1925.
The native habitats of pumas are the entire United States, Southern Canada, and South America.
The puma is America's largest cat. Its length is about 180cm, including a tail of 80cm. Body weight is about 100 kg. The structure of the puma attracts the eye: a strong long body, slender strong legs, a proudly descending long tail with a black tip. A small head and round ears complete the elegant portrait of a puma. The fur is quite thick, short and coarse. The color of the puma is yellow-brown, monochromatic. There are also light, white, dark brown and even black cougars. Cougars are perfectly adapted to living in the Northern forests. They are distinguished by their excellent hearing and amazing endurance. In search of food, a mountain lion can travel very long distances.
Cougars lead a solitary lifestyle and interact with the opposite sex exclusively during the mating period. These cats live in mountain forests, which gave the puma its second name - mountain lion, as well as on plains and wetlands. They can be found in both prairies and semi-deserts. Population density depends on the amount of prey available in the territory and can range from one cat per 85 km 2 to 13 cats per 54 km 2. Males have quite large hunting areas - 140-760 km 2.
The females' areas are located on the periphery of the male's area. In this case, the males’ territories usually do not intersect, since cougars mark their territories and do not come into conflict with their relatives. The lifespan of pumas is about 20 years.
The puma prefers to hunt at night. The puma's main prey is deer, although it hunts quite a variety of animals: marmots, small birds, coyotes, anteaters and even snakes. If necessary, the puma can even feed on snails and insects. The cat drags the remaining meat after the meal to a shelter and covers it with leaves or snow. This cat is capable of dragging a carcass that exceeds its own weight over fairly long distances. The cat returns to the hidden prey later. It is not easy to defeat large game in a cougar fight. The main method of hunting for this cat is an ambush attack, since the puma does not like to run and runs out of steam quite quickly. But the puma's jump will delight anyone. The height of her jump sometimes reaches 3-4 meters in height. The cat may appear to be flying, especially when jumping from top to bottom. Cougars can run quite fast, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h, but they do not last long. The puma's skills also include excellent climbing of rocks, trees, and swimming.
There is no specific breeding season for mountain lions. The mating process is often accompanied by screaming and fighting of males. Puma pregnancy lasts about 90-100 days, resulting in the birth of 1-3 cubs. Cougars are born blind and gain sight in 8-10 days. Around this time, kittens start teething, and by 6 weeks they are already able to eat adult food. At birth, kittens have spotted fur and this color remains for up to a year. The mother raises her cubs until 15-26 months, after which the young cougars begin searching for their own hunting grounds. By 2.5 years, females reach sexual maturity. In males this occurs by the age of 3 years.
The puma prefers to avoid humans, but it was humans who became the main reason for the decline in the population of these cats. Considering that cougars are not averse to hunting domestic animals, farmers do not like them. However, a decrease in the population of these cats often becomes an even greater problem for all farmers, since in this case the population of armadillos (the favorite food of pumas) greatly increases, turning pastures into minefields. However, despite the obvious benefits of these cats, they were shot for a long time, and the puma population became much smaller than before. Today the puma is in danger of becoming completely extinct.