The cougar is a large species of felid that lives in the forests, mountains, grassland, deserts and scrubland of Canada, the USA, Mexico, and all of South America. The cougar is also commonly known as the puma and the mountain lion. The cougar has sandy coloured fur, thick legs and a thick tail, a broad head with rounded ears, a white muzzle and dark tear marks coming down from the eyes. Male cougars have a head-body length of 120 to 200cm, a height of 60 to 90cm at the shoulder, a tail length of 63 to 95cm and weigh between 53 and 100kg. Females have a head-body length of 90 to 180cm, weigh between 29 and 64kg and have a similar height and tail length to males.
Latin Name
Puma concolor
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cougar
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Animal Facts
The cougar has large paws and the largest hind legs of any felid species, relative to body size.
Despite being the fourth largest cat species, cougars are not considered part of the ‘big cats’ as they lack the bones and organs required to roar.
Cougars cannot roar, but do make sounds comparable to those of domestic cats.
Cougar cubs are born with black spots that act as camouflage; they lose this patternation at 6 months old.
Cougars are strong swimmers able to cross lakes and rivers but like most cats prefer to stay out of the water.
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