Cougar (Mountain Lion) Habitat

Cougar (Puma concolor) is the most widely distributed ones among the wild cats in the western hemisphere. They have a very wide range extending from Yukon in Canada to the southern Andes of South America. Hence, the cougars are known in different names in different geographic regions. These names include puma, deer cat, mountain lion, mountain devil, red tiger, king cat, sneak cat, catamount, Mexican lion, panther, mountain screamer and silver lion. There are over 40 names for cougar in English language itself. This animal is also honored with the Guinness World Record for the highest number of names. When compared to tiger, lion and jaguar, cougars are the fourth heaviest wild cat in the world, along with the leopard. In America, they are the second heaviest wild cat, after jaguars.

There are six sub-species of cougar - Argentine puma, Costa Rican Cougar, Eastern South American cougar, North American Cougar, Northern South American cougar and Southern South American puma. Cougars are more related to small cats than the big ones. They are the largest among small cats and do not come under the category of big cats, in spite of its large size. They are almost as big as a jaguar and as heavy as a leopard, but lack the power of jaguars. Unlike the big cats, cougars cannot roar, but can growl and chirp like small cats. They are cats, large in size with muscular limbs, and large feet and are often plain colored (gray or brown and sometimes with patches) with pink nose. Their belly, chest and throat are white in color.

As mentioned earlier, cougars cover a wide range, from sea level to fourteen thousand feet or more, with a span of over 110 degrees latitude. At present, cougars are found in Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and Yukon territory and some states of America. According to IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), this animal is present in almost every central and south American country. There are reports regarding cougar population in North America, but very little is known about the animal in the southern part.

Basically, cougars are roaming animals and can be found in diverse habitats like the cold woods of Canada, the rain forests of Brazil, the western country of the United States and the vast grassy plains (pampas) of Argentina. They are so adaptable and can survive in tropical forests, swamps, grasslands, to mountain conifer forests, desert scrub, and any location with adequate cover and prey. Cougars prefer densely forested areas in coastal swamps, rocky cliffs and mountain ranges as their habitat.

Cougars are solitary animals with individual territories. Only mothers along with the cubs roam around in groups. They have large territories, which are usually oval or circular in shape. The area of cougar territories and their population depends on the abundance of prey, vegetation and terrain. If there is a scarcity of prey in a particular area, the size of individual territories would be large. They don't have permanent dens, but they are found resting in the caves, among rocky outcrops, and in dense vegetation. Cougars have a tendency to migrate to the mountains in winter, mainly for hunting purposes. They have a lifespan of 8 to 13 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.