Cougar

The Cougar.

Information
The  cougar  ( Puma concolor ), also known as the  mountain lion ,  puma ,  panther ,  mountain cat, [3]  or  catamount , is a large cat of the family  Felidae native to the Americas. Its  range, from the Canadian  Yukon  to the southern  Andes  of South America, is the greatest of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the  Western Hemisphere. [4]  An adaptable,  generalist  species, the cougar is found in most  American   habitat  types. It is the second heaviest cat in the Western Hemisphere, after the  jaguar. Solitary by nature and  nocturnal, [5]  the cougar is most closely related to smaller felines and is nearer genetically to the  domestic cat  than true lions.

An excellent stalk-and-ambush predator, the cougar pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources include ungulates such as deer, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep, as well as domestic cattle, horses and sheep, particularly in the northern part of its range. It will also hunt species as small as insects and rodents. This cat prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but can also live in open areas. The cougar isterritorial and survives at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of prey. While large, it is not always the apex predator in its range, yielding to the jaguar, grey wolf, American black bear, and grizzly bear. It is reclusive and usually avoids people.Fatal attacks on humans are rare, but have been trending upward in recent years as more people enter their territory.[6]

Excessive hunting following  European colonization of the Americas  and the ongoing human development of cougar  habitat  has caused populations to drop in most parts of its historical range. In particular, the cougar was  extirpated  in eastern North America in the beginning of the 20th century, except for an isolated  subpopulation in Florida. However, in recent decades, breeding populations have moved east into the far western parts of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Transient males have been verified in  Minnesota, [7]   Wisconsin , [8]  Iowa, [9] [10]  the  Upper Peninsula  of Michigan, and Illinois, where a cougar was shot in the city limits of Chicago [11] [12] [13]  and, in at least one instance, observed as far east as  Connecticut.

source:wikipedia.org

Height and Weight
Cougars are slender and agile members of the cat family. They are the fourth-largest cat; [31]  adults stand about 60 to 90 cm (24 to 35 in) tall at the shoulders. [32]  Adult males are around 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long nose-to-tail and females average 2.05 m (6.7 ft), with overall ranges between 1.5 to 2.75 m (4.9 to 9.0 ft) nose to tail suggested for the species in general. [33] [34]  Of this length, 63 to 95 cm (25 to 37 in) is comprised by the tail. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ADW_35-0" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  Males typically weigh 53 to 100 kg (115 to 220 lb), averaging 62 kg (137 lb). Females typically weigh between 29 and 64 kg (64 and 141 lb), averaging 42 kg (93 lb). <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CAP_36-0" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ADW_35-1" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  Cougar size is smallest close to the  equator, and larger towards the  poles. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-diet_4-1" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  The largest recorded cougar, shot in Arizona, weighed 125.5 kg (276 lb) after its intestines were removed, indicating in life it could have weighed nearly 136.2 kg (300 lb). <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  Several male cougars in British Columbia weighed between 86.4 and 95.5 kg (190 to 210 lb). <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]

Although cougars resemble the domestic cat, they are about the same size as an adult human.<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The head of the cat is round and the ears are erect. Its powerful forequarters, neck, and jaw serve to grasp and hold large prey. It has five retractable claws on its forepaws (one a dewclaw) and four on its hind paws. The larger front feet and claws are adaptations to clutching prey.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-WhosWho_40-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Cougars can be almost as large as jaguars, but are less muscular and not as powerfully built; where their ranges overlap, the cougar tends to be smaller than average. Besides the jaguar, the cougar is on average larger than all felids outside of the Old World lion and tigers. Despite its size, it is not typically classified among the "big cats", as it cannot roar, lacking the specialized larynx and hyoid apparatus of Panthera.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  Compared to "big cats", cougars are often silent with minimal communication through vocalizations outside of the mother-offspring relationship.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Cougars sometimes voice low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles, many of which are comparable to those of domestic cats. They are well known for their screams, as referenced in some of their common names, although these screams are often misinterpreted to be the calls of other animals.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]

Rear paw of a cougar<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Cougar coloring is plain (hence the Latin concolor) but can vary greatly between individuals and even between siblings. The coat is typically tawny, but ranges to silvery-grey or reddish, with lighter patches on the underbody, including the jaws, chin, and throat. Infants are spotted and born with blue eyes and rings on their tails;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CAP_36-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  juveniles are pale, and dark spots remain on their flanks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NY_34-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  Despite anecdotes to the contrary, all-black coloring (melanism) has never been documented in cougars.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  The term "black panther" is used colloquially to refer to melanistic individuals of other species, particularly jaguars and leopards.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]

Cougars have large paws and proportionally the largest hind legs in the cat family. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CAP_36-2" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  This physique allows it great leaping and short-sprint ability. The cougar is able to leap as high as 5.5 m (18 ft) in one bound, and as far as 40 to 45 ft horizontally. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49]  The cougar's top running speed ranges between 64 to 80 km/h (40 to 50 mph), <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ZoologicalWildLifeFoundation_50-0" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  but is best adapted for short, powerful sprints rather than long chases. It is adept at climbing, which allows it to evade  canine  competitors. Although it is not strongly associated with water, it can swim. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Sierra_52-0" style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]source:wikipedia.org