Puma Facts and Puma Pictures

THE puma is a carnivorous mammal, a member of the cat family which includes such magnificent animals as the jaguar, the lion, the tiger, and the leopard. Other names for the puma are cougar, mountain lion, and catamount. It is only found in North, Central and South America.

This large handsome cat has a solid-coloured tawny coat, without spots, and is almost as big as a lioness, being thirty inches high at the shoulder and almost seven feet long, including twenty-five to thirty inches of tail. It weighs up to two hundred pounds. Its head is small and graceful, and its golden eyes are very expressive. The solid muscles of the puma’s body give it a rapid, powerful spring.

In western United States it usually lives in rocky terrains. It climbs trees well. Fumas live a roving solitary life, walking abroad at dusk under the cover of the brush or trees. They attack small mammals, elk, deer, and sometimes even domestic farm animals. At one time pumas were found in most parts of the United States. Now, however, they have been hunted to extinction in most parts of the country. As a result, their normal prey, such as deer, have multiplied to the point where they cannot always find enough to eat. Many deer die of famine in the winter. The puma or cougar of South America lives in jungles as well as in mountainous areas. It hunts monkeys in the forest, chasing them through the trees.

In the early spring litters of from two to five young are born. They have yellow fur with dark spots during the first six months of their life. They stay with their mother for about two years.The puma is curious about man, but seldom if ever attacks him.

Puma Pictures