“Cougar, mountain lion, and puma are names for the same species, *Puma concolor*.”
The cougar — also called mountain lion or puma — is a large American wild cat with a plain tawny coat and a long heavy tail. It hunts deer in forests across the Americas and ranks as Least Concern.
By An Nguyen · Updated
Puma concolorCarnivoraFelidae
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A closer look at habitat, diet, behavior, reproduction, and conservation.
Also called the mountain lion, puma, or panther, the cougar (Puma concolor) is the widest-ranging wild cat in the Americas. This powerful carnivore of the Felidae family stalks deer through forests, mountains, and woodland edges from Canada to Patagonia — usually alone, and almost always out of sight.
The cougar belongs to the genus Puma, and for all its size it does not roar like lions, tigers, or leopards; instead it screams, growls, and purrs, sitting genetically closer to smaller cats than to the roaring Panthera line that includes the tiger, jaguar, and snow leopard. Cougar, mountain lion, puma, panther, and catamount are all one species; the "Florida panther" is a rare regional population, not a separate kind. Adults measure 3.5 to 5.5 feet in body length plus a heavy 2-to-3-foot tail, stand 24 to 35 inches at the shoulder, and weigh from about 64 to 140 pounds, big males sometimes topping 200. The plain tawny coat — no leopard rosettes or cheetah spots — suits shadowed forest and canyon country, while powerful hind legs, a counterbalancing tail, retractable claws, and padded feet make it a superb stalker.
Cougars use many landscapes, but forest, woodland, and mountain cover are their broadest reliable habitats, supplemented by chaparral, canyons, and grassland edges wherever there is prey and hiding cover. The species runs from western Canada and much of the western U.S. through Mexico and Central America to southern Chile and Argentina; eastern North American populations are far more limited after historic declines. Because adults hold large territories, connected corridors matter, and dense day beds in thickets, caves, or ledges give secure rest between hunts — sometimes overlapping the ranges of bobcats and wolves, though the cougar fills its own role as a solitary deer specialist.
Cougars are strict carnivores. Deer are the classic staple across much of the range, backed by elk, bighorn sheep, and other ungulates, with hares, raccoons, and rodents filling gaps and livestock taken where wild prey is scarce near ranches. Hunting is solitary ambush: stalk through cover, then a short explosive rush and a bite to the throat or nape. After a large kill the cat usually caches the carcass under leaves or snow and returns to it over several days — relying on stealth rather than the long pursuits of pack hunters like wolves.
Adult cougars are solitary outside brief mating encounters. Males hold large territories overlapping several female ranges, advertised with scrapes, urine, and feces, and females raise kittens alone, moving dens if disturbed. Cougars climb well, resting in trees or on rocky overlooks, and travel widely at night and dusk. People rarely see them — not because they are scarce everywhere, but because their hunting hours and dense cover keep encounters uncommon.
In many climates females can breed year-round, with local peaks in warmer seasons. After about 82 to 96 days' gestation, the mother bears two to four spotted kittens in a hidden den, their eyes opening at about two weeks. Kittens nurse for weeks, then share meat from her kills, their spots fading as they grow, and they often stay with her 12 to 18 months learning to stalk deer. Wild cougars commonly live 8 to 13 years, longer in human care.
The cougar is Least Concern globally, yet the overall trend is decreasing in parts of the range, and some regional populations — the Florida panther among them — remain small and intensively managed. Threats include habitat fragmentation, vehicle collisions, retaliatory killing after livestock losses, and declining prey. Protecting forest and mountain corridors, cutting road mortality, and keeping wild ungulate populations healthy all help cougars persist near people.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Felidae
Genus
Puma
Species
P. concolor
Cougar, mountain lion, and puma are names for the same species, *Puma concolor*.
Unlike lions, tigers, and leopards, cougars cannot roar — they scream, growl, and purr.
A cougar’s long thick tail helps it balance when leaping onto rocky slopes or prey.
Spotted cougar kittens lose most of their spots as they grow into plain tawny adults.
Cougars have the widest north–south range of any land mammal in the Western Hemisphere.
They often cache large kills under leaves or snow and return for several days.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
A cougar is a large American wild cat (*Puma concolor*) in the Felidae family. The same species is also called mountain lion or puma.
Yes. Mountain lion, cougar, and puma are common names for one species. “Panther” is sometimes used regionally for the same cat.
Cougars live in forests, mountains, and woodlands from Canada through the United States and Central America into South America.
They are carnivores that prefer deer and other ungulates, but also take hares, raccoons, and smaller mammals when available.
A baby cougar is called a kitten. Litters usually have two to four spotted kittens raised by the mother alone.
Cougars are listed as Least Concern overall, but some populations — such as the Florida panther — remain rare because of habitat loss and roads.
Attacks are rare. Cougars usually avoid people, but hikers in cougar country should travel in groups, keep children close, and never approach a wild cat.
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