Cougar - the Biggest of the Small Cats!

Included in small cats owing to its physicalIn case of smaller prey, the cougar breaks the
attributes, cougar shares an ancestor with theneck by crushing the cervical vertebrae and
African Cheetah. Its great bounds of speed alongsevering the spine. Usual prey is deer, though the
with its long balancing tail are indeed reminiscentcat's great adaptability enables it to take a wide
of the fastest land mammal, even as cougarprey base - from insects to large ungulates.
masters in stalk and ambush predation. Its greatConflicts are rare with other species owing to its
hunting abilities have enabled it to survive inhuge ranges in the wild. Though in certain regions
diverse habitats and become subject of folklore inin the north, cougar does compete with bears and
many communities, earning it more names thanwolves for its kills. In the south cougar is
any other cat, including - mountain lion, mountainoutmuscled by the Jaguar, though its versatile
screamer, puma, panther, catamount, pi-twal,hunting ability give it the edge. Attacks on humans
carcajou, couguar, and cuguacuarana.are rare and are often provoked by
The coat is of uniform color, typically tawny. Cubsencroachment into mountain lion territory. Staring
are spotted, but become plain colored as theythe cat in the eye and intimidating it with
mature. Patches of lighter color may occur on chincontrolled loud noise along with attack by rocks
and throat. The body structure is designed chieflyand sticks often drives the cat away in case of a
for agility and power. A robust head, powerfulconfrontation. Playing dead, as with bears, doesn't
forequarters, deep chest and strong jaws enablehelp - the cougar quickly approaches and delivers
cougar to be a fearsome predator. Thea fatal neck bite!
proportionately longer hind legs enable greaterAs with other cats, the solitary cougars come
bounds of speed along with a leaping abilitytogether for mating several times a year. Three
second to none among land predators - up to 40to four kittens are born, though typically one or
feet horizontally!two survive in the wild - with the mother doing
Though capable of generating tremendous speed,the sole parenting. The young begin hunting at six
cougar prefers to stalk its prey before pouncingmonths and are capable of surviving independently
on it with few lightning bounds, generating greatat one to one and a half years of age. Life span
momentum. Upon knocking down the prey cougaris generally ten years in the wild and up to twice
delivers a lethal neck bite - suffocating the animal.that much in captivity.