The cougar, also known as the mountain lion or puma, is a large cat native to the Americas with the widest range of any wild land mammal in the Western Hemisphere, found from northern Canada to the southern Andes. It has a slender, muscular body with a small head and a plain tawny to greyish coat, and despite its size it is more closely related to smaller cats than to lions, tigers or jaguars. Cougars are solitary, largely nocturnal ambush hunters that prey mainly on deer, and they can leap great distances and heights, well suited to the varied terrain of forests, mountains, deserts and scrubland they inhabit. Though eliminated from much of eastern North America, the species overall remains classified as least concern, with stable populations in western North and South America.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Comparison
NatureServe Rank CITES Appendix CITES Appendix Identification
Distinguishing AppearanceCougar coloring is plain tawny, ranging from silvery-grey to reddish with lighter patches on the underbody, including the jaws, chin, and throat. 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
In Ecosystem
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
Source Cougar (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
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Sources
1. Cougar (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
The cougar ( KOO-gər; Puma concolor), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount, and panther, is a large feline native to the Americas.
Lead section, coloring description sentence
Cougar coloring is plain tawny, ranging from silvery-grey to reddish with lighter patches on the underbody, including the jaws, chin, and throat.
In Ecosystem: Amazon Rainforest, Lead
Further south, its range extends through Mexico to the Amazon rainforest and the southern Andes Mountains in Patagonia.
In Ecosystem: Yellowstone, Hunting and diet
Investigations at Yellowstone National Park showed that elk and mule deer were the cougar's primary prey; the prey base is shared with the park's wolves, with which the cougar competes for resources.
In Ecosystem: Pantanal, Social spacing and interactions
Cougars were diurnal in the Brazilian Pantanal, but crepuscular and nocturnal in protected areas in the Cerrado, Caatinga and ecotone biomes.
In Ecosystem: Cerrado, Social spacing and interactions
Cougars were diurnal in the Brazilian Pantanal, but crepuscular and nocturnal in protected areas in the Cerrado, Caatinga and ecotone biomes.
In Ecosystem: Atlantic Forest, Social spacing and interactions
Cougars in the Atlantic Forest were active throughout the day but displayed peak activity during early mornings in protected areas and crepuscular and nocturnal activity in less protected areas.
In Ecosystem: Llanos, Distribution and habitat
In Colombia, it was recorded in a palm oil plantation close to a riparian forest in the Llanos Basin, and close to water bodies in the Magdalena River Valley.
In Biome: Desert, Distribution and habitat
The cougar lives in all forest types, lowland and mountainous deserts, and in open areas with little vegetation up to an elevation of 5,800 m (19,000 ft).
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Cougar
system (MediaWiki batch-API article extract states it plainly)
The cougar ( KOO-gər; Puma concolor), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount, and panther, is a large feline native to the Americas.
Lead section
Intensive hunting following European colonization of the Americas and ongoing human development into cougar habitat has caused populations to decline
Infobox: status
LC
View the Source3. Cougar (Wikidata)
WikidataInfobox: status2
CITES_A2
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): least concern.
Wikidata Q35255 (P1034 main food source): Odocoileus virginianus
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): Odocoileus virginianus.
Wikidata Q35255 (P1034 main food source): carrion
Main food source (Wikidata property P1034): carrion.
View the Source 4. NatureServe Explorer: Puma concolor
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
5. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Puma concolor (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITESQuote, Conservation Status: CITES
CITES Appendix I
Wikidata: Cougar
Catalogue of Life
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