Hands Down Animals · Printable fact sheet
Cougar
Puma concolor
Quick facts
| Scientific name | Puma concolor |
|---|---|
| Size | 1.5 - 2.75 m (nose to tail) |
| Weight | 29 - 120 kg, with males larger than females |
| Lifespan | 8 - 13 years in the wild (up to 18 in captivity) |
| Diet | Carnivorous, primarily feeding on deer, but also preys on elk, mountain goats, wild sheep, smaller mammals… |
| Habitat | Mountain forests, Swamps, Deserts |
| Where it lives | Western United States, Western Canada, Florida, Mexico |
| IUCN status | Least Concern (with some subspecies Endangered) |
| Population | 30,000 - 50,000 |
| Top speed | 80 km/h |
| Family | Felidae |
About the cougar
The cougar, also called the mountain lion or puma, has the largest range of any wild land mammal in the Americas, from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes, in forests, deserts and mountains. It is the largest cat that purrs rather than roars, it can leap 5 metres straight up, and it brings down deer many times its weight by ambush from cover. Cougars are Least Concern overall, but the Florida panther, an isolated population in the southeastern United States, numbers only around 200.
Five things to know
- Cougars are the largest wild cats found in North America.
- They hold the Guinness World Record for the animal with the most names (over 40 in English alone).
- Cougars can leap up to 5.5 meters (18 feet) vertically.
- Single mothers raise cubs alone, teaching them hunting skills.
- Once ranged across nearly all of North and South America, now mainly found in the west and parts of South America.
Homeschool unit: Animals homeschool guide — Habitats, adaptations and food chains as a graded unit, with the cougar as one of its worked examples.