As a continuation of one of my previous posts, "Wild cats," this post is about cougars!
Cougars are the second largest cats in North America, with males weighing from 120 to 220 pounds and females about 64 to 140 pounds. However, they don't fall under the category of "big cats" because they can't roar, neither can cheetahs. But they purr, growl, hiss, and meow.
They live in Canada and both North and South America. In North America, they are mostly found in Western states.
Cougars like to hide out in rocky areas, waiting for their prey.
Did you know that cougars hold the Guinness world record for the mammal with the most names? They have more than 40 different names in the English language alone! These include mountain lion, puma, cougar, panther, mountain cat, and several others.
Once fully grown, the cougar has no predators aside from humans.
Cougars are amazing jumpers. They can jump up to 20 feet in the air! They are also good sprinters, reaching speeds of 35-45 MPH.
The cougar has a poor sense of smell.
They live for about 8-13 years in the wild and 20 years or more in captivity.
Cougars are not picker eaters, as they will just about anything they can get their paws on. From insects to horses! They'll eat deer, sheep, domestic cattle, rabbits, mice, snakes, and even frogs!
Adult cougars are solitary animals, meaning that they live alone, unlike lions who live in prides.
The average litter of cougars is 2-4 cubs. The cubs are born with spots, but they disappear once the cub reaches about 9 months of age. Cubs are also born with blue eyes, just like kittens. Their eye color changes from blue to a greenish yellow when the cub is 16 months old. Once the cubs reach 18 months of age, they leave their mother.
Since cougars are wild, there isn't as much known about them as housecats, so this post is a bit shorter than my others.
Thank you!
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