Cougars

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Cougar, Panther, Mountain Lion, Puma, Panther, Painter, American Lion, Ghost Cat, Igmutanka and many other names for one cat: Puma Concolor, the big cat of the Americas.

The cougar's original class, Felis Concolor, had more than 20 subspecies, including the Florida Panther as felis concolor coryi. The scientific community reconsidered their taxonomy based on skull, dental, and coat studies and concluded that there was no longer enough difference to justify so many subspecies. Initially, it was suggested to have only one subspecies, Puma concolor couguar. However, in 1993 after further analysis of DNA, they were reassigned to 6 subspecies. Some groups still recognize the former subspecies, but with the new Genus – Puma. The results of these studies are controversial, particularly due to the previously endangered status of certain subspecies.

While many refer to a “black panther”, the two cats commonly referred to as a “black panther” are either a black leopard or a black jaguar, and actually have spots, visible in bright light. They probably had normal colored parents and siblings. A black cat is melanistic, black fur and black skin. There has been no evidence of a melanistic cougar, in spite of many rumored sightings.

Cougars are varying tawny shades with lighter underbellies and throats. They have a white mask edged in black around the muzzle. Since their most active time is dusk and dawn, their fur is likely to be damp and can make the cougar seem darker than they actually are. One of their most distinguishing features is a long dark tipped tail. They are solitary animals, and are only found with others for mating or a mother rearing young. Cougars may be found in many terrains; mountain, desert, swamp, and forest. Their diet and fur adapt to suit each environment.

Cougars range in size from around 100 lb. for an adult male South American Cougar, to over 200 lb. for an adult male Canadian cougar. The Florida Panther is the second smallest, with Males about 125 lb., and females about 70 lb.  Cougars breed at any time during the year, with the females reaching sexual maturity around 2 ½ hears old. They have a gestation period of around 90-96 days and give birth to 1-4 spotted kittens weighing about 1 pound. When the eyes open at approximately 2 weeks, they are bright blue. Kittens loose their spots at around 6-8 months old. Kittens are weaned at about 4 months, but stay with the mom for up to 2 years to learn hunting skills.

Deer, hogs, and other small animals make up the cougar's main prey. While they can run at a speed of up to 35 miles per hour for a short span, they hunt mainly by stalking and long powerful leaps. A bite to the back of the neck effectively kills their prey. 

At one time the cougar inhabited all of North America including Canada and the continental United States, through Central and all of South America. Currently they exist in only a small portion of Canada, a few western states, and in shrinking numbers the northern part of South America.

The cougar has few natural predators. Their greatest threat is still humanity and loss of habitat secondary to development. Amazingly, there are actually states that currently allow sport hunting of these beautiful creatures. This highly contentious issue is at the forefront of many efforts to preserve the big cat.

Cougars are considered the athletes of the cat world. They can jump 17 feet vertically from a sitting position, or 40 feet horizontally in a single leap. Like a house cat, they are curious about everything around them and can be quite playful. Whether in the wild or in captivity, they bear many similarities to domestic cats. They also are the largest of the cats that purr. Due to a difference in vocal cords, cats that can purr can't roar, and cats that roar, can't purr.

While the Mountain Lion of the west is still plentiful, in many other states this great cat is already extinct. The Florida the panther was placed on the list of endangered in 1967. Congress furthered this cause with the passing of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. In 1982 the state adopted the Florida Panther as the state mammal. And more recently, Governor Charlie Crist declared March 17, 2007 as Save the Panther Day. With fewer than 100 Florida Panthers left, the gene pool is so limited that their chances of survival are minimal. Some of the differences found in the Florida Panther are the oily finish to the fur to shed moisture and slightly webbed feet to deal with the swamps. A kink in the tail and a cowlick at the back of the head are two cosmetic differences, neither of which cause problems. However, they are prone to heart and lung problems. Many kittens do not survive to adulthood.

The Florida Panther originally had a range that included most of the south eastern U.S. so the Texas Cougar is a close genetic match to the Florida Panther. In 1994 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the transfer of female Texas cougars to Florida to breed with healthy males to increase the chance of healthy offspring. This venture was successful. The population has increased from around 30, in 1980 to approximately 80 today. However, on the down side, an adult male needs a hunting range of up to 300 square miles. They do not share this territory with other males. Females need from 32 to 125 square miles. These ranges may overlap with other females, even with their daughters. Currently there approximately 650,000 acres of habitat put aside by the Big Cypress Preserve and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; only 5% of their historic range. The rate of development in the area signals that there will not be space to support enough cougars to remove them from the endangered list.

In states where the cougar is currently plentiful, as well as in Florida where sightings are rare, there is a fear that the big cat will attack. The chances of a cougar attack are small, subsequently; the risk of death from an attack of a cougar is miniscule. In fact, in the last 100 years there have been only 14 fatal cougar attacks in North America. The rare attacks reported usually are the result of humans being in “cougar” territory, during their normal active hours or dusk or dawn, and bending over or sitting that make them look like prey. Standing upright, traveling in groups, and making noise keep us from looking like food. We know more about cougars than before, but still have much to learn aobut this elusive cat. With education and caution, we can create a mutual habitat to allow a peaceable coexistence.

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