cougars - range & habitat
The cougar has the largest range of any wild land animal in the Americas. Its range spans 110 degrees of latitude, from northern Yukon in
Canada to the southern Andes. It is one of only three cat species, along with the bobcat and Canadian lynx, native to Canada. Its wide
distribution stems from its adaptability to virtually every habitat type: it is found in all forest types as well as in lowland and mountainous
deserts. Studies show that the Cougar prefers regions with dense underbrush, but can live with little vegetation in open areas. Its preferred
habitats include precipitous canyons, escarpments, rim rocks, and dense brush.
The cougar was extirpated across much of its eastern North American range with the exception of Florida in the two centuries after European
colonization and faced grave threats in the remainder. Currently, it ranges across most western American states, the Canadian provinces of
Alberta and British Columbia, and the Canadian Yukon Territory. There have been widely debated reports of possible recolonization of eastern
North America. DNA evidence has suggested its presence in eastern North America, while a consolidated map of cougar sightings shows numerous
reports, from the mid-western Great Plains through to Eastern Canada. The only unequivocally known eastern population is the Florida panther,
which is critically endangered. There have also been sightings in Elliotsville, Maine in the central part of the state.
South of the Rio Grande, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) lists the cat in every Central
and South American country except Costa Rica and Panama. While specific state and provincial statistics are often available in North America,
much less is known about the cat in its southern range.
The cougar's total breeding population is estimated at less than 50,000 by the IUCN, with a declining trend. U.S. state-level statistics are
often more optimistic, suggesting cougar populations have rebounded. In Oregon, a healthy population of 5,000 was reported in 2006, exceeding
a target of 3,000. California has actively sought to protect the cat and a similar number of cougars has been suggested, between 4,000 and 6,000.
« back