Cougar is a marvelous animal.
A terrific hunter, it is a design in strength and speed. Prowling
over a range greater than that of any other felid in Western
Hemisphere, cougar reigns supreme as the best individual hunter in the
Americas. Though not included in big cats owing to its inability to
roar, cougar is a very strong cat with a weight range of 120-200 lbs
for the males and 80-130 lbs for the females.
Included in small
cats owing to its physical attributes, cougar shares an ancestor with
the African Cheetah. Its great bounds of speed along with its long
balancing tail are indeed reminiscent of the fastest land mammal, even
as cougar masters in stalk and ambush predation. Its great hunting
abilities have enabled it to survive in diverse habitats and become
subject of folklore in many communities, earning it more names than any
other cat, including – mountain lion, mountain screamer, puma, panther,
catamount, pi-twal, carcajou, couguar, and cuguacuarana.
The coat
is of uniform color, typically tawny. Cubs are spotted, but become
plain colored as they mature. Patches of lighter color may occur on
chin and throat. The body structure is designed chiefly for agility and
power. A robust head, powerful forequarters, deep chest and strong jaws
enable cougar to be a fearsome predator. The proportionately longer
hind legs enable greater bounds of speed along with a leaping ability
second to none among land predators - up to 40 feet horizontally!
Though
capable of generating tremendous speed, cougar prefers to stalk its
prey before pouncing on it with few lightning bounds, generating great
momentum. Upon knocking down the prey cougar delivers a lethal neck
bite – suffocating the animal. In case of smaller prey, the cougar
breaks the neck by crushing the cervical vertebrae and severing the
spine. Usual prey is deer, though the cat's great adaptability enables
it to take a wide prey base – from insects to large ungulates.
Conflicts
are rare with other species owing to its huge ranges in the wild.
Though in certain regions in the north, cougar does compete with bears
and wolves for its kills. In the south cougar is outmuscled by the
Jaguar, though its versatile hunting ability give it the edge. Attacks
on humans are rare and are often provoked by encroachment into mountain
lion territory. Staring the cat in the eye and intimidating it with
controlled loud noise along with attack by rocks and sticks often
drives the cat away in case of a confrontation. Playing dead, as with
bears, doesn't help – the cougar quickly approaches and delivers a
fatal neck bite!
As with other cats, the solitary cougars come
together for mating several times a year. Three to four kittens are
born, though typically one or two survive in the wild – with the mother
doing the sole parenting. The young begin hunting at six months and are
capable of surviving independently at one to one and a half years of
age. Life span is generally ten years in the wild and up to twice that
much in captivity.
Despite a distribution from Yukon to Andes in
the Americas, cougar's population is facing a trend towards decline –
owing primarily to habitat and prey loss accompanied by predation by
their only natural threat – humans. The specie is not vulnerable yet
though and debate is gaining ground about reintroducing them to the
eastern territories, yielding bright prospects for the future of this
splendid panther!
The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on cougar.
