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Weight:
100-200 pounds
Head/Body: 48-60 inches
Tail: 28 inches
Subspecies: 29
The largest of the lesser cats, the
puma, often incorrectly called a panther (a panther is a leopard), is a
large and powerful cat with a graceful and narrow body and exceptionally
strong legs. It is the champion jumper among cats, able to execute a 30
ft. standing broad jump or an 18 ft. jump straight up the face of a cliff.
Its head is small, with small rounded ears. Its has a distinctive call
midway between a cough and a snarl. Despite its size, it is a lesser cat
and cannot roar. Its coat is a uniform tawny color with lighter underparts
and white on the chin and throat. It sports a white moustache. The puma
was until recently found in all parts of North and South America except
the arctic, but is rapidly vanishing from large portions of the U.S. and
Canada. It is strongly territorial, claiming an exceptionally wide range,
and is solitary even by cat standards, avoiding its own kind except to
mate. It hunts by day, primarily from the ground but occasionally from
high rocks, low cliffs, or trees, and seeks deer, sheep, goats, peccary,
capybara and other similarly-sized game.
Hear a Cougar

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