The mountain lion
Also known as the "mountain lion" or "cougar," the puma is a large feline inhabiting the Americas: from Canada to Patagonia, in forests – which it shares with the jaguar – and in the mountains, pampas, and semi-desert areas. Its coat is a uniform color, ranging from brown to yellow-gray, with a pink nose and green-yellow eyes. It is a very powerful animal, measuring on average over 2 meters, with a long tail: when it moves, its hindquarters are higher than its head, with broad and muscular hind legs, allowing it to run very fast in the snow, make leaps of more than 10 meters, and jump over 4 meters without a run-up! It is, therefore, a very agile carnivorous predator, stalking large deer or smaller prey, but also, if necessary, catching fish, insects, or lizards. The puma is solitary except during the breeding season: a litter can contain up to 6 kittens with a spotted fur, suitable for camouflage, which they retain for a year and a half.
Identification document
- Name: Puma
- Latin name: Puma concolor
- Origin: North, Central, and South America
- IUCN Status: Least Concern
- CITES: Appendix II
5 pumas at Pairi Daiza
5 pumas at Pairi Daiza, the father Cherokee, mother Cheyenne and their three cubs.
