#COUGAR PAW PRING PLUS#

Their large hind legs also make them excellent at sprinting for short distances.

This makes cougars great jumpers, able to leap from the ground 18 feet up into a tree. Mountain lions actually have the largest hind legs (proportionally) of all the members of the cat family. So by protection cougars and creating legislation to preserve habit for them, it also has the potential to benefit many other animals species. Mountain lions are often considered umbrella species because of the large amounts of open habitat and wilderness they require to thrive.įor example they need almost 13 times the amount of area a black bear needs, or 40 times what a bobcat needs. It refers to a species who’s protection inadvertently benefits many other species. Umbrella species is a term sometimes used in the world of environmental conservation. You may also like: 25 Facts About Hawksbill Sea Turtles Mountain lions are also known for their eery “screaming” which occurs during mating. However mountain lions can make other sounds you may associate with cats such as hissing, growling, chirps and purrs. They do not possess the same larynx and hyoid apparatus of the other big cat species that gives them this ability. Unlike other “big cats”, mountain lions do not have the ability to roar.

#COUGAR PAW PRING PLUS#

However in captivity, with no threat of hunting, starvation or many other typical dangers, mountain lions can live 20 plus years. The average life span in the wild is ten years. Unless they have a large carcass they are feeding on over multiple days or the female is having kittens, mountain lions don’t tend to stay in one spot for more than a few days. Most of the time they are always on the move around their territory, and cougars will just find a suitably sheltered spot to sleep. You might be thinking cougar retreat to a “home base” cave or a den for sleeping, but this is not the case. They can certainly be seen during the day, but dawn, dusk and night is when they are most active. Crepuscular means they like the early dawn and late twilight hours, and nocturnal means they are also active at night. Mountain lions are considered to be both crepuscular and nocturnal. Attacks and fatalities are still very rare, so take some comfort in that! 3. But cougars do not usually attack unless they feel cornered, or if someone running away from them triggers a chase response.Īs housing and development expands further into their prime territories, these encounters will inevitably increase. This may begin to change as humans continue to move into their habitat, and it will be inevitable the number of encounters will increase. It is thought this is in part because they are not habituated to humans, and do not see them as prey. Even when living alongside humans, they rarely make their presence known. They are very solitary creatures who prefer to pass by unseen. Mountain lion attacks on humans are considered rare. In fact the names Puma, Panther, Painter, Mexican Lion, and Catamount, in addition to Mountain Lion and Cougar, are all different names for the same species.Īnd there are more names beyond that! Because of their historic wide distribution, each region came up with their own names for these big cats, no wonder they are known as “the cat of many names”.

Yes, they are! The terms Mountain Lion and Cougar are interchangeable and refer to the same animal and species ( Puma concolor). 10 interesting facts about Mountain Lions 1. So in this article we’ll answer some of those common cougar questions, and learn some cool facts about Mountain Lions. Because these wild cats of North America can sometimes live near our own backyards, we obviously have some questions. Mountain Lions are solitary and elusive creatures, they prefer to remain hidden and unseen.

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