Saturday, February 19, 2011

Cougar


True Wild Life | Cougar | The cougar is native to the Americas, particularly south America and western North America and is often known by other names such as mountain lion, puma and panther. Cougars can be found mainly in the mountain regions of Canada and Mexico, but as the name cougar is often used to describe an un-spotted leopard, cougars are also found in Asia and Africa. The cougar is the fourth biggest feline in the world behind the lion, tiger and jaguar, making the cougar the second largest cat in the Americas. The cougar has longer back than front legs and a long heavy body.


Cougars prey on large mammals such as moose, deer, elk and stray wolves and can often go for long periods of time without food. Cougars are also well known for their amazing ability to jump up to 30ft. Cougars tend to have between 1 and 4 cubs, generally during the spring and summer time when the adult cougars are hunting well again after the harsh winters. A cougar typically lives until its about 20 years old.


Due to the cougars vast range, the cougar is known in different places by different names. Until the late 1990s there were thought to be 32 different species of cougar inhabiting both North and South America. Recent studies however, have shown that the DNA of the majority of the 32 cougar species was too similar. There are therefore only 5 different species of cougar found on the American continent.


Today the cougar is only found in parts of Florida in North East America and the cougars range on the west coast has been dramatically reduced by human interference. The cougar is most commonly found in the Canadian Rockies and the more mountainous regions of Southern Mexico.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just passed one near my house on highway 35 in Hood River, Oregon!!

Anonymous said...

great pics man!! thanx

Anonymous said...

There are tons of these in South West Washington. So unless we qualify as Canada Suddenly, the info on where these guys live is a little off. They don't seem to mind interference from the humans considering my neighbor had a yearling cougar in his garage last night! Yikes! Beautiful animals, but terrifying when you have small kids and live in the country.

Anonymous said...

I love cougars

animalover said...

They are such beautiful animals!

i love them!

I wish i lived in america so i could see them

Anonymous said...

We came across a cougar on the West Coast Trail on july 5/2011.
The tracks at our feet lead to a dark hollow under a huge tree.My eyes focused on the huge yellow eyes staring back at me from about 6 feet away. We calmly armed ourselves with bear spray in the event of an attack.
Our fellow hikers were coming down the trail so warned them to keep walking past this spot and talking normally. It was euphoric and memorable moment of our hike. I was surprised of it's close location to those walking past all day. Informed & warned others & authorities. John & Betty jonny6924@hotmail.com

Anonymous said...

I am surrounded by them on Manitoulin Island, Ontario

Anonymous said...

love them great photos

Anonymous said...

We have three in Wisconsin!

Anonymous said...

do they eat ppl

Anonymous said...

i love these pics

Anonymous said...

I live in SouthEast,Oklahoma in the washita mountains and we see and hear them all the time they sound weird with that high pitch scream...they obviously are in other areas too.

Anonymous said...

Puma is a very interesting creature same like Sri Lankan leopards

http://mahooraluxurysafarissrilanka.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/sri-lankan-leopards-not-social-than-other-leopard-subspecies/

Photography in Medford Oregon said...

I love cougars!

Anonymous said...

cougars poop big piles of poop

Anonymous said...

I live in North Phoenix and had one in our neighborhood last night. Beautiful but it made me nervous.

AEConnelly said...

These animals are very rare in North East America, unless you mean in the Canadian northeast. Either way, they are much more prevalent in the West. Vancuver British Columbia have the largest population of Cougars compared to anywhere else in the world. So, maybe you should rewrite that portion of your blog.

Anonymous said...

cougars, are big beautiful animals

Labels

Albatross Alligator Amphibian Angelfish Ant Anteater Antelope Ape Armadillo Aves Avocet Axolotl Baboon Badger Bandicoot Barb Barracuda Bat Bear Beaver Bee Beetle Binturong Bird Birds Of Paradise Bison Boar Bongo Bonobo Booby Budgerigar Buffalo Butterfly Butterfly Fish Caiman Camel Capybara Caracal Carnivore Cassowary Cat Caterpillar Catfish Cattle Centipede Chameleon Chamois Cheetah Chicken Chimpanzee Chinchilla Cichlid Civet Clouded Leopard Clown Fish Coati Cockroach Collared Peccary Common Buzzard Coral Cougar Cow Coyote Crab Crane Critically Endangered Crocodile Crustacean Cuscus Damselfly Deer Dhole Discus Dodo Dog Dolphin Donkey Dormouse Dragon Dragonfly Duck Dugong Eagle Echidna Eel Elephant Emu Endangered Extinct Falcon Ferret Fish Flamingo Flatfish Flounder Fly Fossa Fox Frog Gar Gazelle Gecko Gerbil Gharial Gibbon Giraffe Goat Goose Gopher Gorilla Grasshopper Grouse Guinea Fowl Guinea Pig Guppy Hamster Hare Hedgehog Herbivore Heron Hippopotamus Horse Human Hummingbird Hyena Ibis Iguana Impala Insect Invertebrate Jackal Jaguar Jellyfish Kangaroo Kingfisher Kiwi Koala Kudu Ladybird Ladybug Larvae Least Concern Lemming Lemur Leopard Lion Lionfish Lizard Llama Lobster Lynx Macaque Mammal Mammoth Manatee Mandrill Manta Ray Marsupial Mayfly Meerkat Millipede Mole Mollusca Molly Mongoose Monkey Moorhen Moose Moth Mouse Mule Near Threatened Newt Nightingale Numbat Octopus Okapi Olm Omnivore Opossum Orang Utan Oriole Ostrich Otter Owl Oyster Pademelon Panda Panther Parrot Peacock Pelican Penguin Phanter Pheasant Pig Pika Pike Piranha Platypus Pond Skater Possum Prawn Primate Puffer Fish Puffin Puma Quail Quoll Rabbit Raccoon Raccoon Dog Rare Rat Reindeer Reptile Rhinoceros Robin Rodent Salamander Scorpion Scorpion Fish Sea Dragon Sea Lion Sea Slug Sea Squirt Sea Urchin Seahorse Seal Serval Shark Sheep Shrew Shrimp Skunk Sloth Snail Snake Spider Sponge Squid Squirrel Starfish Stoat Swan Tamarin Tapir Tarantula Threatened Tiger Toad Tortoise Toucan Turkey Turtle Vulnerable Vulture Walrus Weasel Whale Wildebeest Wolf Woodlouse Woodpecker Worm Zebra