Life of a cougar. Puma (mountain lion)

The Puma cat is one of the most powerful and graceful predators from the cat family. Another name for this beautiful animal is cougar.

Cougars are real hunters: strong, flexible, run fast and are able to climb trees. This cat has a flexible body, strong paws and a long tail.

What does a puma look like and where does it live?

The body length of this big cat is up to two meters. The height at the withers can reach one meter. Weight adult cat on average is up to eighty kilograms. Males are quite heavier than females, so females can weigh up to fifty kilograms, while males can weigh up to one hundred kilograms.

Its fur is thick and short, mostly reddish in color. Top part their bodies are much darker than the lower ones. Their face and ears have black areas.

Cougars have very strong jaws and teeth.. The age of an animal is usually determined by its teeth.

Their hind legs much more massive than the front ones, which allows it to jump and climb trees. Interestingly, there are four toes on the hind paws and five on the front paws.

A strong, long tail helps the cat maintain balance while jumping. A cougar can jump up to seven meters in length and up to two meters in height.

When chasing prey, cougars can reach speeds of up to fifty kilometers per hour..

Where does the puma live?

These cats prefer absolutely different places habitats, like tropical forests and mountainous areas. But mostly they live where deer live - the main victims of their hunting.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the cougar population decreased greatly, but a few years later, their numbers were returned to their previous level.

Types of puma

Previously, it was believed that there were more than 25 species of these representatives of the cat family, but in our time, based on genetic research, they are divided into only six varieties:

Florida cougar- the smallest variety. There are very few of them left - about one hundred and sixty individuals. They are dying out due to the hunting of these rare animals. This species is listed in the Red Book, with a note indicating the criticality of the population.

Black cougar- This is most likely fiction. So far there has been no confirmation of their existence. Most often, these are dark-colored cougars that appear completely black from a distance.

Character

• These are solitary predators. They can be active both during the day and at night, but hunt most of all at dusk. The size of their possessions can reach up to a thousand square kilometers, it all depends on the population density.
• Cougars mark their territory with urine, scratches on trees, and droppings.
• Only during the mating season can you see several pumas together. This does not last long and after fertilization the animals return to a solitary life.
• They have virtually no enemies wildlife. Only if the animal is sick can it be threatened by alligators, wolves and jaguars.
• These cats avoid any encounters with people, and very rarely attack them, only if a person frightens her or quickly runs towards her.

Nutrition

The main diet of cougars consists of moose and deer, but if necessary, they also feed on squirrels, raccoons and lynxes. If there is a farm or pasture near the hunting site, then they will gladly attack sheep, pigs and dogs.

With such a high running speed and the ability to climb trees, the puma is capable of catching even a monkey jumping in trees.

Usually the puma's prey is much larger than its size, and it cannot eat all the prey at once. The puma hides the remains of its meal under the leaves, and when it gets hungry, it returns and finishes its prey.

On average, one cat needs approximately fifty ungulate carcasses per year.

Reproduction

During the mating season, cougar pairs form for only two weeks, after which they return to their territory.

The ability to reproduce appears in pumas starting at the age of three.

The gestation period for pumas is ninety-five days. One litter can have from two to six kittens.

Already at the age of ten days, kittens begin to develop teeth and open their eyes.

The puma does not allow anyone to see his children for the first month. Only when they are able to walk and eat on their own will the puma release them into the wild.

Cats take care of their kittens for about two years, after which they choose their own territory and go off into independent life.

Cougars live for about twenty years.

Although hunting for these animals is prohibited in almost all countries, the extermination of cougars continues due to their attacks on cattle farms.

Nowadays it has become very fashionable to tame cougars for keeping at home. Breeders of such an exotic animal into their home must take into account that the puma is a wild, freedom-loving animal and no one can guarantee the safety of such a neighborhood.

In zoos, pumas live quite well and even bear offspring. In captivity they live quite a long time.

A prominent representative of the cat family is the puma or mountain lion. This cat lives only on the American continent. The animal inhabits all of South America. In North America, it lives in Mexico, as well as in the western mountainous regions of the United States and Canada. In the east of the mainland, the puma lives only in Florida, representing a very small population.

Currently, there are 6 subspecies of this cat, and 5 of them live in Latin America. The North American subspecies lives in North America. Argentina has been chosen by the Argentine mountain lion. The Costa Rican subspecies is very small in number, as it cannot compete with jaguars. The northern South American subspecies is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and northern Brazil. There are also eastern and southern South American subspecies. They differ from each other in color and physique.

Appearance

The puma or mountain lion is a large cat and is second in size only to the jaguar, which is also an inhabitant of the American continent exclusively. In general, among large predatory cats, the mountain lion takes 5th place. It gives way to the tiger, African and Asiatic lions, as well as the already mentioned jaguar.

The height at the withers of the animal ranges from 60 to 90 cm. The body length from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail in males is about 2.4 meters. Females are smaller. Their length does not exceed 2 meters. The tail has a length of 65 to 95 cm. The weight of males ranges from 55 to 100 kg. Average weight about 63 kg. Ladies weigh from 30 to 65 kg. Average weight is 42 kg. That is, the fair sex is more graceful and inferior strong half for 20 kg.

The smallest sizes are pumas that live near the equator. The most powerful physiques are distinguished by animals living in northern regions America. The largest mountain lion was shot in Arizona. His weight reached 125 kg. In British Columbia, there were cougars that weighed 95 kg.

The puma has a round head and small erect ears. There are five claws on the front paws and four on the hind paws. The claws are retractable, and the hind legs are more massive than the front ones. The color of adult predators is uniform. Coat color can vary not only among subspecies, but even between siblings. It can be dark yellow, silver-gray or red. The lower part of the body is lighter than the upper. On the throat and lower jaw the fur has a whitish tint. The same color next to the black stripes under the nose - in those places where the mustache grows. The tail ends with a black tip. The iris of the eyes is light brown.

Newborns have blue eyes. The body is covered with dark spots, and the tail is decorated with dark rings. With age, the spotted skin changes to a solid color. Dark spots sometimes remain in the abdomen and legs. There are mountain lions with white fur, but black pumas, unlike jaguars and leopards, do not exist in nature.

Thanks to its powerful hind limbs, the puma has excellent jumping ability. The animal's jumping height reaches 5.5 meters. The cat can jump 12 meters in length. When running, it reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h. But he never runs long distances, preferring a quick and short throw. Excellent climber on rocks and trees, swims well. In a word, the animal is ideally adapted to life and hunting, both in mountainous areas and on open, flat terrain.

Hunting

The cat hunts at night. The animal's diet is very varied. Any living creature, regardless of size, falls into the fanged mouth. The mountain lion eats birds, insects, and does not disdain fish. But the main diet is, of course, the meat of deer, elk, horses, and wild sheep. Ungulates make up 95% of the predatory cat's diet. The size of the victim does not frighten her. The puma jumps on the back of the ungulate, breaks its neck or strangles it with its powerful jaws. The prey is usually dragged to a secluded place. He eats some, and hides the remaining meat, covering it on top with leaves, branches or snow.

The animal returns to its reserves regularly. Usually a large elk or deer lasts a cat for 10 days. A female, burdened with cubs, goes hunting once every three days. The mountain lion does not eat carrion or living creatures killed by another animal. But it’s a pleasure to hunt livestock. Moreover, he often slaughters sheep and goats all in a row, although he can only take one victim with him. The predator does not disdain its brothers belonging to the cat family.

Cougars live in splendid isolation. Each male and female has its own territory. For representatives of the stronger sex it reaches 50 square meters. km, sometimes much more. Ladies are not distinguished by such scope. Their holdings are usually limited to 20-25 square meters. km. The boundaries are indicated by urine and feces. Mountain lions hunt on their lands. They try not to wander into foreign territory to avoid conflicts. They unite in pairs only during the mating season. This is a very short period of time - no more than 10 days.

Reproduction and lifespan

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years. They have one litter every 2-3 years. Pregnancy lasts 3 months. The expectant mother makes a lair in a cave or some kind of stone niche. Usually 2-3 cubs are born. Sometimes there is 1, and at times as many as 6 babies. They are born blind. Milk feeding lasts 3 months. Upon reaching this age, the cubs begin to go hunting with their mother. From 6 months they try to hunt small animals on their own.

Young cougars live with their mother for up to 2 years. Just by this time, their skins “lose” their spots and acquire a uniform shade. Males leave their mother earlier, females later. The stronger sex goes as far as possible from the maternal territory and tries to create its own plot of land. This often results in conflicts with other males. In this case, young animals often die. From one litter, as a rule, only 1 cub survives. Young females do not move far from their mother’s land and try to find land for themselves closer to their parent.

A cat lives in the wild on average from 8 to 14 years. In captivity, pumas live up to 20 years. In the USA, there was a case where one female lived to be 30 years old. This long-liver died in 2007. This is possible with proper care and attention to the animal from humans. Timely provision of medical care is also important.

Enemies

The mountain lion's enemies include a grizzly bear and a jaguar. True, it must be said right away that a clubfoot does not pose a great threat to a predatory cat. Rather, the puma itself can feast on the cubs if the bear is gaping. But the jaguar is a dangerous adversary. This powerful and strong beast very fierce and aggressive. It can easily kill a young cougar. This predator also represents serious competition in the hunt.

Man has always mercilessly shot the mountain lion, as it posed a threat to livestock. However, this did not greatly affect the population, but not in all subspecies. If we talk about cats living in Florida, today there are only 87 of them. In total, about 30 thousand pumas live in the western regions of the United States and Canada. In general, the population of the species is not of concern to people. Those subspecies that are small in number are protected by law.

Cougars or mountain lions- lat. Puma concolor. We all know well from childhood that the lion is the king of beasts. It turns out that in addition to the king of animals, there is also a mountain lion - this is what the puma is usually called. This strong animal from the cat family can be called the mountain king of beasts.

There are about 25-30 subspecies of pumas. They differ in their habitat, coat color and some features of their body structure. Most rare view- Florida cougar. The number of individuals of this species is only 25-50. Habitat: Florida (USA). Its extinction is associated with large-scale drainage of swamps and hunting for them.

The Wisconsin cougar became extinct by 1925.

The native habitats of pumas are the entire United States, Southern Canada, and South America.

The puma is America's largest cat. Its length is about 180cm, including a tail of 80cm. Body weight is about 100 kg. The puma's structure is eye-catching: strong long body, slender strong legs, proudly descending long tail with a black tip. A small head and round ears complete the elegant portrait of a puma. The fur is quite thick, short and coarse. The color of the puma is yellow-brown, monochromatic. There are also light, white, dark brown and even black cougars. Pumas are perfectly adapted to living in Northern forests. They are distinguished by their excellent hearing and amazing endurance. In search of food, a mountain lion can travel very long distances.

Cougars lead a solitary lifestyle and interact with the opposite sex exclusively during the mating period. These cats live in mountain forests, which gave the puma its second name - mountain lion, as well as on plains and wetlands. They can be found in both prairies and semi-deserts. Population density depends on the amount of prey available in the territory and can range from one cat per 85 km 2 to 13 cats per 54 km 2. Males have quite large hunting areas - 140-760 km 2.

The females' areas are located on the periphery of the male's area. In this case, the males’ territories usually do not intersect, since cougars mark their territories and do not come into conflict with their relatives. The lifespan of pumas is about 20 years.

The puma prefers to hunt at night. The puma's main prey is deer, although it hunts quite a variety of animals: marmots, small birds, coyotes, anteaters and even snakes. If necessary, the puma can even feed on snails and insects. The cat drags the remaining meat after the meal to a shelter and covers it with leaves or snow. This cat is capable of pulling off a carcass that is larger than itself own weight, over fairly long distances. The cat returns to the hidden prey later. It is not easy to defeat large game in a cougar fight. The main method of hunting for this cat is an ambush attack, since the puma does not like to run and runs out of steam quite quickly. But the puma's jump will delight anyone. The height of her jump sometimes reaches 3-4 meters in height. The cat may appear to be flying, especially when jumping from top to bottom. Cougars can run quite fast, reaching speeds of up to 50 km/h, but they do not last long. The puma's skills also include excellent climbing of rocks, trees, and swimming.

There is no specific breeding season for mountain lions. The mating process is often accompanied by screaming and fighting of males. Puma pregnancy lasts about 90-100 days, resulting in the birth of 1-3 cubs. Cougars are born blind and gain sight in 8-10 days. Around this time, kittens start teething, and by 6 weeks they are already able to eat adult food. At birth, kittens have spotted fur and this color remains for up to a year. The mother raises her cubs until 15-26 months, after which the young cougars begin searching for their own hunting grounds. By 2.5 years, females reach sexual maturity. In males this occurs by the age of 3 years.

The puma prefers to avoid humans, but it is the man who has become main reason reducing the population of these cats. Considering that cougars are not averse to hunting domestic animals, farmers do not like them. However, the decline in the population of these cats often becomes even bigger problem for all farmers, since in this case the population of armadillos (the favorite food of pumas) greatly increases, turning pastures into “mine” fields. However, despite the obvious benefits of these cats, they were shot for a long time, and the puma population became much smaller than before. Today the puma is in danger of becoming completely extinct.

This cat is distributed in both hemispheres. It lives on the lands of many Indian tribes and has a lot of local names.

Taxonomy

Russian name– puma (mountain lion, cougar)

English name– Cougar

Latin name– Puma concolor

Squad– predatory (Carnivora)

Family– felines (Felidae)

Genus- puma (Puma)

The old classification, based on morphological characteristics and maintained until 1999, distinguished about 24-30 subspecies of puma.

By modern classification, based on genetic research, there are 6 subspecies tied to geographical areas:

Puma concolor couguar - North America (from southern Canada to Guatemala and Belize);

Puma concolor costaricensis - Central America (Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama);

Puma concolor capricornensis - eastern part South America(from the southern coast of the Amazon in Brazil to Paraguay);

Puma concolor concolor - northern part of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia);

Puma concolor cabrerae - central South America (northeastern Argentina, Uruguay);

Puma concolor puma - South part South America (Chile, southwest Argentina).

The rarest subspecies of cougar is the Florida cougar (Puma concolor coryi). Its population in nature in 2011 was slightly more than 160 individuals. She lives in forests and swamps south florida(USA). This cat is distinguished by its relatively small size and high paws. Her coat color is dark, reddish. As a result of inbreeding, individuals of this subspecies acquired a curved tail tip.

Another eastern American subspecies, Wisconsin cougar(Puma concolor shorgeri), extinct by 1925

Currently, both the Florida and Wisconsin cougars are not distinguished into separate subspecies; they are classified as the subspecies Puma concolor couguar.

The subspecies of puma kept at the zoo has not been identified.

Status of the species in nature

The puma is included in the International Red Book as a species whose existence is of least concern - CITES II, IUCN (LC).

Species and man

In 1553, one of its first descriptions was given in the book “Chronicle of Peru” by Cies de Leon. The word "puma" comes from Quechua, the most widely spoken American Indian language.

People have long admired the grace and strength of this cat. In South America in complex name people often heard the name of a powerful cat. The image of a puma is often found on ceramic products. The Incas associated this animal with the god of sky and thunder. In North America, for example among the Apaches, the screams made by the puma were a harbinger of death. Other Indian tribes identified this beast with evil spirit from the afterlife. At the same time, in the Cherokee tribe he was a sacred animal and was inviolable.

The cougar usually avoids humans, attacks are rare and occur in the summer or autumn, when young cougars leave their mothers and develop new territory. Between 1890 and 1990 In North America, 53 cougar attacks on humans were recorded, 40 of them resulted in injuries, and in 10 cases people died.

The cougar can attack livestock: calves, sheep, goats; this often happens when young animals learn to hunt. It is clear that this behavior displeased farmers, and their persecution significantly reduced the number of the beast in North America.

Distribution and habitats

Puma is an American cat. Historically, the cougar's range was the largest of all terrestrial mammals America. The distribution area of ​​this species extended from southern Patagonia to southeastern Alaska. Currently on site North America The puma is preserved mainly in the mountains of the western regions. In South America, the puma is distributed almost everywhere.

These predators adapt perfectly to the most different conditions: they also live in the mountains coniferous forests, and in tropical forests, and on grassy plains. Cougars can be found in the mountains at altitudes of up to 4,700 m above sea level. Their spread is limited only by food and shelter. In addition, pumas in South America avoid floodplains where jaguars are found.

For a successful hunt, a puma needs shelter behind which it hides, creeping up on its prey, so even in open biotopes, the predator chooses areas where there are stones or bushes.

Appearance and morphology

A large cat of almost uniform color, hence Latin name type: conkolor - one-color. The color of adults varies from grayish-brown to brownish-yellow. The fur on the belly is somewhat lighter than on the back and sides. Only the ears, tip of the tail and muzzle are dark. In tropical areas, pumas are smaller and redder, northern animals- lighter colors. It is known about the existence of light and even white pumas, as well as dark brown and black individuals, found mainly in Latin America. Albino and melanistic cougars are unknown in nature.

The color of the cubs is not uniform - there are dark spots on the body, stripes on the paws, and rings on the tail. The pattern disappears only at one year of age.

Males are 30% larger than females, reaching a length of 100-180 cm with a tail length of 60-70 cm, a height at the withers of 61-76 cm and a weight of up to 105 kg. Typically, males of large subspecies weigh 70-80 kg. The body of the puma, like that of all cats, is flexible and elongated, the head is small, and the paws are low. The tail is long and muscular, the paws are wide, with sharp retractable claws.

Despite large sizes, the puma belongs to the group of small cats, unlike the lion, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and tiger - big cats. Small cats are unable to roar or growl, which is explained by the complete hardening of the hyoid bone, which in large cats consists of several small bones.

Lifestyle and social behavior

The cougar can be equally active both during the day and at night. The change in activity is determined by hunger. Most often, the favorite time for hunting is twilight, when the silent animal becomes completely invisible. The puma is perfectly adapted to life in rough terrain. She easily moves along mountain slopes, climbs trees and rocks well, and swims well when necessary.
Like all representatives of the cat family (with the exception of lions), adult cougars live alone; male and female meet only to reproduce. The size of a cougar's hunting range depends on the density of potential prey and in North America ranges from 32 to 1031 sq. km. The size of the male's territory is larger than that of the female, and the owner jealously protects it from other males. A male's territory usually partially overlaps with the hunting grounds of several females. Animals avoid each other in areas of overlapping areas, and this is achieved by marking. Cougars tagging certain places using urine, droppings or scrapes - areas of the ground or trees where animals scratch with their claws, leaving visual marks.

Nutrition and feeding behavior

The puma is a predator that feeds exclusively on animal food. The objects of hunting can be a wide variety of animals: from mice, squirrels, opossums, rabbits to coyotes, lynxes and other cougars. She also eats birds, fish and even snails and insects. The puma will not refuse prairie dog, groundhog or monkey. However, the main place in the puma's diet is ungulates: black-tailed, white-tailed and pampas deer, wapiti, moose, caribou and bighorn sheep. In North America, the share of ungulates in the diet of this predator is 60% or more. In the mountains of South America, pumas successfully hunt humpless camels. On occasion, they also attack livestock, cats, dogs, and poultry.
It is estimated that a large male cougar kills a deer every 9–12 days, eating up to 8 kg of meat at once, and hiding the rest. Until the prey is eaten entirely, the animal stays nearby, resting near its hiding place. Other predators, as well as scavengers, try to feast on the leftover food, and often the puma has to go hunting again the very next day. The predator usually hunts at dusk, making it easier to sneak up on the intended prey, but if it is very hungry, it can try its luck during the day.

Vocalization

Due to the special structure of the larynx, pumas cannot roar or growl loudly; they are rather silent animals. Loud screams, a bit like a human cry, are emitted only by females during the mating season. When communicating with kittens, they “talk” much more quietly. In addition, cougars can purr, like domestic cats.

Reproduction and raising of offspring

Cougars reach sexual maturity by the age of 2 years, but young animals, as a rule, do not begin breeding until they find a permanent hunting area.
Cougars are capable of breeding at any time of the year, but the peak births of cubs usually occur in January and August. Since the extensive hunting range of an adult male overlaps with the ranges of several females at once, he can breed with different females throughout the year. Mating, like other cats, is accompanied by bloody fights and wild screams of the males.
Preparing to become a mother, the female makes a den in rock crevices, between tree roots, or simply in a secluded place among thickets of grass.
Pregnancy lasts 92 days, after which from 1 to 4 blind kittens are born (usually two or three), weighing up to 500 g. Their fur is spotted, blackish-brown. This coloring serves as camouflage, hiding it from predators (including adult male pumas). From 12–14 weeks, the spots become paler, but finally disappear only by one and a half years.
Literally in the very first minutes after birth, the cubs begin to greedily suck milk and rapidly gain weight in the first weeks. At two weeks of age, the cubs open their eyes and ears, and they actively crawl, curiously exploring the den and its immediate surroundings. Then their first teeth erupt.
The female periodically goes hunting and leaves the cubs alone for a while. At first, she tries to stay close to the den, but when the children grow up, she begins to explore her entire area.
After 8–9 weeks, the cougar stops carrying meat into its den and begins to take children with it on hunts. At the age of 2–3 months, kittens stop feeding on milk, but for several more months they remain with their mother, who protects them and teaches them to hunt. Eventually the mother leaves, which is most often associated with the beginning of a new reproductive season. Once grown, young cougars stick together for a while before scattering in search of their own hunting grounds.
In order to find a suitable place for hunting that is not occupied by another puma, they are sometimes forced to walk hundreds of kilometers. Young females have it somewhat easier; they can make a home for themselves not far from their mother. But young males, until they make their decision, are at especially high risk, entering into conflicts with both adult pumas and humans. Most often, domestic animals (and humans) are attacked by these young animals at the age of 1–2 years. Adult cougars, trying to protect their territory, not only drive away the young ones, but also kill them.

Lifespan

In nature, the life expectancy of pumas is 10–12 years for males, slightly longer for females. In regions where hunting for pumas is permitted, the cause of death of adult animals is most often humans. In addition, pumas fall under the wheels of vehicles, die in skirmishes with each other, from wounds received during hunting, and less often from disease. Few people die of old age.
In zoos, pumas live up to 20 years.

Keeping animals at the Moscow Zoo

During the existence of the zoo, pumas were kept here several times. These cats live well in captivity and bear offspring.
Currently, a young large male puma lives in “Cat Row”, who arrived from the Veliky Ustyug Zoo. He walks around the enclosure not only in the evening, like most cats, but is often active during the day. In his daily diet includes 1.5 kg of beef, a little ox heart and 4-5 rats, which he eats with great appetite. The beast greets familiar people with a uterine sound that vaguely resembles a purr. We hope that our handsome guy will soon have a girlfriend, and they will make us happy with the birth of little spotted kittens.

Many people are familiar with this graceful, majestic and strikingly beautiful animal. His incredibly beautiful coat, alluring gaze and habits literally attract attention.

This animal has a huge number of names - cougar, panther, mountain lion, red tiger. However, it is best known by the name puma. He received this name from the inhabitants of one of the tribes in whose territory he lived. Translated from the native language, this word means “powerful.”

Previously, pumas were widespread in almost all territories of South and North America, but open hunting for fur and claws natural disasters and other misfortunes practically destroyed their population.

In this regard, almost all American states have banned the hunting of these wonderful animals in order to help them preserve and increase the number of individuals. The only exception is the state of Texas. This ban worked - in a relatively short period of time, the number of pumas inhabiting the planet increased from several thousand to several tens of thousands.

Among American representatives The puma is the largest predator of the cat family. The puma's body is elongated. Perhaps these animals are very similar to cheetahs and leopards. They have long and powerful legs, a small head and a massive tail that plays a balancing role when jumping.

Cougars also have a specific coloring, which makes them even more different from their feline relatives. The fur of this animal is quite short, but very thick, which allows pumas to withstand very low temperatures. The main color of puma fur is sand, but there are species with brownish, bright red or brown shades. The color depends on the habitat: northern pumas are usually gray or light yellow, while southern ones are reddish.

Cougars are excellent hunters. They have the masterful ability to sneak up on their prey completely unnoticed, without giving themselves away either by voice or by the creaking of branches. Absolutely nothing. The puma's jaws are powerful enough to easily kill a goat or ram. However, during a hunt, the cougar first breaks the cervical vertebrae of the victim by attacking from behind.

The prey of these animals are both small animals (squirrels) and large ones (elk and deer). There are even known cases of pumas killing alligators.

It is interesting that the puma is a very thrifty animal. Not a single individual throws away a half-eaten piece of meat. Most often, they camouflage killed game, hide it by burying it or covering it with branches, leaves or snow.

During the mating season, pumas, usually silent animals, announce the surrounding area with inviting roars, as if inviting individuals of the opposite sex to mate. Pregnancy lasts about three months, after which 2-3 blind cubs are born. Despite their apparent helplessness, puma kittens are already strong enough by the end of the first month to crawl out of the den and play with each other.

The cubs leave their mother at the age of two and go off to find their own territory. Cougars are solitary animals and come together only for the mating period, so young animals have to wage a fierce struggle for survival with older individuals.

It is likely that the puma population would have been even larger if others had not intervened large predators and people. IN natural environment pumas fight with bears and wolves, and some even die, entering into an unequal battle. Concerning human activity, then it cannot be said that people kill pumas directly. This is partly due to settlement natural environment habitat of these beautiful animals.