A very famous animal that is endangered without many people being aware of it is the cougar. Other names include the puma, or the mountain lion. There are three subspecies of the cougar that are endangered and are found in different places including North America, Central America, and South America. Cougars thrive well in captivity, and are very similar to the average house cat. FACT: cougars cannot roar like most big cats; the loudest sound they can make is a “purr” like the common cat. Cougars can sprint up to 43 miles per hour and can jump 20 feet from a standing position. In general, cougars are a dark yellow-ish color and have black tipped ears. North American cougars can weigh up to 150 pounds, but the size of a cougar depends on its subspecies. The average cougar diet consists of large mammals such as deer and elk; however, smaller animals can be eaten including porcupines, beavers, or in some cases, even mice. Cougars usually like to avoid humans and are quite shy animals. Only about 30 to 50 Florida Panthers remain in the wild today and there are about 20 to 100 Eastern Puma populations said to be. Overall, there are only about 24,000 to 36,000 cougars remaining because people are settling in their habitats and the population growth is requiring more homes and buildings to be built. In addition, some cougars are being killed through vehicular crashes and about fifteen percent of them are being killed by hunters every year. Cougars are very important animals and their population should not continue to decline!
To learn more on how to help the cougar, visit www.cougarfund.org .
And that’s a wrap, so until next time,
SVR
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