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Cougars By: Sam Kerans. Classification . Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mamilia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felis Concolor Species: Felis Concolor . Cougars are related to all cats and are also called: M ountain Lions, Pumas, and Deer Tiger . P U M A. M O
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Cougars By: Sam Kerans
Classification • Kingdom: Animalia • Phylum: Chordata • Class: Mamilia • Order: Carnivora • Family: Felidae • Genus: Felis Concolor • Species: Felis Concolor • Cougars are related to all cats and are also called: Mountain Lions, Pumas, and Deer Tiger.
P U M A M O U N T A I N L I O N C O U G A R
Physical Characteristics • Very shy and timid • Males weigh from 150-220 lbs. • Females weigh from 95-110 lbs. • Males and females look almost exactly alike • Grow to a length of 7 ½ feet • Pelage is unspotted, varying from brown to silver • Have blue eyes and rings around their tails when born • Have very small heads • Consistent diet of meat
Distribution • Used to have huge distribution • Gone down drastically in past couple years • Now in North and South America • Mostly in Western Hemisphere • Had biggest distribution of all mammals • Now one of the medium sized ones
Habitat • Habitat depends greatly on where it is • Don’t have one particular habitat • Wide tolerance going in all directions • Frequent use of dens and caves • Live mostly in tropical rainforests or dry deserts • Space themselves so they can have easy access to food, water, and other essential needs • Decides home on vision, smell, and hearing
Conservation Status • According to IUCN Red List Cougars are endangered • Their numbers used to be decreasing but are staying pretty stable now • Almost 2,000 cougars are shot every year • There are still plenty of them out there but their numbers shouldn’t be this low
Reproductive Characteristics • Give birth in late spring • Litters can have 1-6 cubs, but average is 3-4 • Start mating at 3 years old
Parent Care • Babies stay with their parents till they are about 1 ½ to 2 years old • Only the mother takes care of the babies • Mother teaches them everything the need to know to survive on their own
Longevity & Mortality • Generally live 10-15 years of age • Males and females usually live the same amount of years • In captivity cougars live to be 20 years old
Seasonal Patterns • Cougars do not hibernate • They also do not migrate • Neither do the undergo torpor
Diet • Cougars are carnivores so they only eat meat • Their diet consists of: elk, moose, deer, etc.
Predator Relationship • Humans are the cougar's main predators. • Predators are jaguars, bears, wolves, wolverines, alligators, and other cougars for food and territory • These animals are a big threat to cougars conservation status
Human Relationship • Not fond of humans • Very shy and timid when around us • Only contact humans have with cougars are in zoo’s and captivity
Fun facts • Their long limbs allow them to cover a distance 40 feet in a single leap • the Cougar is known by a number of names like panther, puma, Florida Panther, Catamount, Mountain Lion and Mountain Screamer. • Not social creatures. They are very reserved animals
Works Cited Cougars (Mountain Lions) - Living with Wildlife. Russell Link, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/cougars.html>. Mountain Lions. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/mountain-lion/>. Read, Tracy C. Exploring the World of Cougars. Buffalo: Firefly Books Ltd., 2011. Print. Stone, Lynn M. Cougars. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1999. Print.