Cougar (Puma)

Pumas are opportunistic carnivores that rely solely on meat for their diet. They primarily feed on deer and elk, but they are also known to hunt bighorn sheep, coyotes, rabbits, porcupines, raccoons, and other small mammals. A single puma can consume one deer per week to ten days, and possibly more if it is a mother raising cubs. These animals are mostly ambush hunters, silently stalking their prey before leaping at close range and breaking the animal's neck with a powerful bite below the base of the skull. Pumas often bury part of their kill to save for a later meal, hiding the food with leaves, grass, dirt, or even snow.

At the Zoo, pumas are offered a specialized ground carnivore diet. They regularly receive bones and other types of meat for enrichment. An unexpected favorite are large, whole sweet potatoes, which they love to shred using their back paws.
At the Zoo, cougars are offered meat, including a processed, ground carnivore diet. They regularly receive bones and other types of meat for enrichment.

Historically, pumas had the most extensive distribution of all land mammals in the Americas. They ranged from coast to coast in North America and from southeastern Alaska to Chile. Populations in eastern North America have been eliminated, except for a small population of Florida panthers, a subspecies. Pumas have maintained their ranges in the western United States, north into Canada and throughout South America.

The size of their home ranges varies from 30 to 125 square miles, with overlap from different individuals. Typically, the males have the largest home ranges and overlap with the smaller ranges of several females.

Pumas are highly adaptable creatures and can be found across a range of habitats, from deserts and rainforests to mountains. Their preferred terrain is usually remote and rugged, with dense vegetation cover for stalking and hunting, secure denning spaces, and an abundance of at least one larger prey species. Over the years, puma populations have started expanding into human-inhabited areas, particularly in western parts of the United States. Puma are now common in suburban California.

The puma is usually at the top of the food chain and has no natural enemies. However, they sometimes compete with other predators such as bears and wolves for food.

Unfortunately, human development causes habitat loss and fragmentation which threatens their existence. Busy roads create a significant obstacle to the movement of these cats within their ranges, often resulting in collisions with vehicles. Moreover, in areas where they may prey upon livestock or pose a threat to human safety, the species is also subject to retaliatory hunting.

The puma is usually at the top of the food chain and has no natural enemies. However, they sometimes compete with other predators such as bears and wolves for food.

Unfortunately, human development causes habitat loss and fragmentation which threatens their existence. Busy roads create a significant obstacle to the movement of these cats within their ranges, often resulting in collisions with vehicles. Moreover, in areas where they may prey upon livestock or pose a threat to human safety, the species is also subject to retaliatory hunting.

Pumas engage in courtship and mating all year round, but this activity varies by region. In northern latitudes, it is more concentrated from December to March. A female puma can be ready to breed or come into estrus at any time of the year. Typically, females give birth every other year, and litters range in size from one to four cubs, with an average of two. The cubs open their eyes ten days after birth, and at this time, their outer ear tips unfold, their first teeth erupt, and they begin to play. The cubs are fully weaned at around 40 days old. The mother and cubs stay together for up to 2 years, but the average is 15 months.

These cats often communicate with each other by leaving "messages" through feces, urine, scratched logs, or by making "scrapes" - small piles of dirt kicked up with their back feet. These messages serve as territory markers. They can produce a variety of sounds to convey their message, including short, high-pitched screams and a whistle-like call. They have also been known to squeak, growl, hiss, and yowl. However, pumas are considered small cats, which means they cannot roar like larger cat species. Instead, they purr.

Pumas are stealthy and solitary animals, except during breeding or when a mother is caring for her cubs. They are most active during dawn and dusk and are nocturnal, spending most of their time traveling and hunting at night. Pumas are not aggressive and will usually flee rather than confront humans. They are capable of climbing and will often seek refuge in trees to escape from danger, such as humans, wolves, and dogs.