The cougar is the largest of the so-called small cats, which cannot roar.
A cougar, or Puma concolor, is a type of bobcat that lived in the Americas. It goes by several common regional names, including cougar and mountain lion, and is considered the largest of the small cats. Despite the cougar’s formidable size, it is classified as a small cat because it cannot roar, which sets it apart from big cats like lions and tigers. The majestic and graceful animals were hunted almost to extinction in the 20th century, but the concerted efforts of conservationists kept the species alive.
The deer is an animal that is part of the diet of the cougar.
An adult cougar can reach a weight of 220 pounds (100 kilograms) and has an extremely muscular body with a long tail used for balance. Cougar color ranges from reddish brown to light yellow, and cats also have dark facial markings. They are known to be extremely secretive and solitary animals and it is very unusual to see a Cougar in the wild as they prefer remote wilderness areas.
A cougar’s diet includes large mammals, such as deer, along with smaller animals and insects. Cats often hide their death, which means they bury it so they can come back later. Ecologically, the cougar plays an important role in keeping the prey population small and healthy. Cougars generally choose injured or older animals to hunt, leaving healthy young animals to breed. In areas where cougars were heavily hunted, an explosion in prey population occurred, leading to environmental problems.
Because cougars are solitary and require a lot of variety, they have clashed with humans. Accelerated wilderness development has put severe pressure on cougars as they find that their natural habitat has slowly been taken over by humans. As a result, cougars sometimes feed on domestic animals or humans. This results in conflict and usually ends with the death of the cougar until concerns are raised about hunting the animals to extinction. This had already happened in the Northeast, where cougars became extremely rare after a campaign to eradicate them. In the West, programs have emerged to implement measures such as capture and relocation, so that the cougar does not completely disappear from the American landscape.
There are many subspecies of cougar, although the exact number is a matter of debate, as many so-called subspecies are too genetically similar to be separated. The cats can be found in the western United States and parts of South America both in the wild and in captivity. Growing awareness of the cougar’s value has led to the establishment of cougar wilderness, and the cats appear to be making a comeback.