Elusive and Mysterious Cougar Facts- Canadian Wildlife Education Series

The mysterious and elusive Cougar (Puma concolor) are commonly known as Mountain Lion, Puma, Mountain Cat and Panther, depending on the geographic region. With more than 40 names, cougars hold the Guinness Book of World Records for the greatest amount of names for any wild animal.

The Cougar is Canada's largest wild cat. There are 4 cougar species in Canada, mostly residing in Alberta and British Columbia. This solitary cat roams and hunts day and night in all seasons and is most active at dawn and dusk. Males have a home range of 150 to 1,000 square kms. this is not shared with other males. There are 30 species of cougars worldwide.

The cougar's strong legs make this carnivore a powerful predator. Agile climbers, they can leap up to 18 feet high and are known to travel up to 50 kms. daily in search of food. Their diet consists primarily of deer, although they will hunt and consume rabbits, beaver, raccoons, grouse, big-horned sheep, elk and moose. They can leap forward 30 feet and run 35 mph.

While male Cougars are polygamous, females are in fact monogamous. Baby Cougars are referred to as cubs.  They are born in a den located in an alcove, cave or area surrounded by rocks or bushes. These locations help protect the cubs from predators. The den area is covered with foliage, grass and brush collected by the mother. After a 91 day gestation period the female gives birth to a litter of up to 6 cubs. Cougar cubs are born with a full coat of fur. This fur is tawny in color with black spots on the body and tail. Spots help to protect the cubs from predators by creating a camouflage. Theses spots begin to fade when the cub is 2 months old. Born with their eyes closed, cougar cubs begin to open their eyes within 5 to 19 days. Their eyes remain blue until they reach 5 months of age, at which time their eyes turn brown. Females reach sexual maturity between 1 ½ to 3 years of age.

During the first six weeks, the cougar cubs’ only nourishment comes from their mother’s milk. Once this period has passed, mothers begin weaning the cubs and gradually begin bringing them meat which she has killed. Cubs depend entirely on their mother for food and do not hunt until they are older. At six months of age the mother begins bringing the cubs along while she hunts. This essential time teaches them the hunting skills they will later require for survival.

Cougars can live 10 to 12 years in the wild and up to 21 years in captivity. Much like the wild buffalo that once roamed the plains, early settlers hunted Cougars to near extinction. Hunting bans in some areas may have saved these magnificent wild cats from extinction. Cougars are wild animals and do not under any circumstances make appropriate or safe domestic pets.


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