cougars
The cougar (Puma concolor), also puma, mountain lion, or panther, depending on region, is a mammal of the Felidae
family, native to the Americas. This large, solitary cat has the greatest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere,
extending from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes of South America. An adaptable, generalist species, the cougar is found in every major
American habitat type. It is the second heaviest cat in the American continents after the jaguar, and the fourth heaviest in the world, along
with the leopard, after the tiger, lion, and jaguar, although it is most closely related to smaller felines.
A capable stalk-and-ambush predator, the cougar pursues a wide variety of prey. Primary food sources include ungulates such as deer, elk, and
bighorn sheep, as well as domestic cattle, horses, and sheep, particularly in the northern part of its range, but it also hunts species as
small as insects and rodents. Moreover, it prefers habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but it can live in open areas.
The cougar is territorial and persists at low population densities. Individual territory sizes depend on terrain, vegetation, and abundance of
prey. While it is a large predator, it is not always the dominant species in its range, as when it competes for prey with other predators such
as the jaguar, Gray Wolf, American Black Bear, and the Grizzly Bear. It is a reclusive cat and usually avoids people. Attacks on humans remain
rare, despite a recent increase in frequency.
Due to persecution following the European colonization of the Americas, and continuing human development of cougar habitat, populations have
dropped in many parts of its historical range. In particular, the cougar was extirpated in eastern North America, except an isolated
sub-population in Florida; the animal may be recolonizing parts of its former eastern territory. With its vast range, the cougar has dozens
of names and various references in the mythology of the indigenous Americans and in contemporary culture.