Felines are a family of mammals that are included in the order Carnivores. These are a very varied group, ranging from small domestic cats to large predators such as lions and tigers, who are located at the top of the food webs within the ecosystems they inhabit.
In this article on our site you will discover 10 curiosities of the puma that will surprise you, since we are dealing with a feline that presents a series of peculiarities that denote it as a really interesting animal. Keep reading!
Your taxonomy has changed over time
The cougar belongs to the subfamily Felinae, shared with various types of cats, lynxes, cheetahs and caracals, among others, and to the genus Puma, in which is located only one species: Puma concolor. However, for a time the existence of a varied number of subspecies was considered to exist, specifically 32, but later they were reduced to 6:
- P. c. Cougar
- P. c. costaricensis
- P. c. capricornensi s
- P. c. with colour
- P. c. cabrerae
- P. c. Cougar
However, a more recent study from 2017 [1], based on molecular research, has tentatively proposed the existence of only 2 subspecies : P.c. concolor and P. c. cougar. We can show, then, that the taxonomy of the puma has not been consistent over time.
In this other post we talk in depth about the different types of puma that exist.
It has a long evolutionary history
Cats are divided into two subfamilies, Felinae and Pantherinae, which diverged around about 11.5 million years ago Then Within this evolutionary path, the cougar lineage is estimated to have separated approximately 8 million years ago, which accounts for its antiquity. On the other hand, in this same lineage is the cheetah, with which the cougar is closely related.
It is the second largest feline in America
After the jaguar (Panthera onca), the puma is the second largest feline in the Americas, so it is considered an animal of important dimensions in its native area. A male cougar weighs more than a female, so they have masses ranging 36 to 120 kg, while a female weighs 29 to 54 kg. In terms of size, the dimensions of an adult male are 1 to 1.5 meters long, while those of a female range from 0.85 to 1.3 meters.
It has the largest distribution range in the West
One of the curiosities of the puma is that it is considered the terrestrial animal with the largest distribution range in the West. This is so because has a presence from the north, in Canada, to the south, both in Argentina and Chile Although there are variations within each particular country, occupy a large number of regions.
It has a very varied population density
The cougar has a different population density depending on the region or area in which it is present In principle, this could be due to natural, such as the presence of prey, which are essential for this animal to sustain itself. However, with the advance of urban development and roads, the distribution of this feline has been interrupted and fragmented. Thus, in certain regions there may be 1 puma per 100 km2, while in others there are 8 pumas per 100 km two
It's a lonely animal
Unlike other types of felines, pumas are solitary animals, which is why in the previous curiosity we saw that we could find them with so many kilometers apart from one individual to another. In addition, They are very territorial, as is common in all felines.
Your mating frequency is too high
We have said that cougars are solitary, except during mating season. In this sense, the area of a male can overlap with that of several females, with whom he will seek to reproduce. A curious fact about cougars is that after courtship and the vocal calls they make, they can have a high frequency of copulation, thus, a couple copulates up to nine times in an hour, since each act lasts less than a minute.
It is a very ste althy predator
As cats tend to be, pumas are highly ste althy predators, but they are especially so with large prey, which they silently lie in wait to pounce onat short distances and proceed to cut their necks. Undoubtedly, this hunting technique guarantees success in most cases, since the prey cannot perceive its predator.
He hunts prey much larger than himself
Despite the above, the cougar's curiosities regarding its hunting method do not end here, since a cougar can hunt a prey that has twice as many of your weight and even a little more. In these cases, it drags the victim a few meters away from the place and hides it to eat it over several days. A single cougar can eat 48 hoofed animals (deer, antelope, tapir, and more) in a year.
It's very fast
Pumas are felines that can reach speeds of between 60 and 80 km/h and, although not comparable to the speed of the cheetahs, which are part of the list of the fastest animals in the world, this is not an insignificant value, since it manages to make short runs at good speed.
It's a great climber
Pumas are also agile climbers, as they are capable of jumps of about 4 meters in height and about 10 meters in length length. Without a doubt, these are really curious and incredible facts, don't you think? Thanks to this ability, these animals also spend part of their day in the trees, and, let's remember, felines love to rest in high areas to better control their territory and feel safer.
Can't roar
Surely this is one of the curiosities of the puma that you did not know! The roar of felines is due to an anatomical arrangement due to the fact that the hyoid bone is not rigid or ossified, in addition to other features of the larynx and vocal cords. Thus, cougars lack these characteristics, so they cannot roar like the species of the Panthera genus, so their vocal communication is based on growls, purrs and whistles
Holds a Guinness World Record
Another of the curiosities of the puma is that it has been registered in the Guinness Record for being the mammal with the most names Curiously, only in In English it can be referred to in 40 different ways, including cougar, panther, and mountain lion. In Spanish it is also called the mountain lion, the Yuma cougar, and the Colorado cougar, among other names.
It is highly resistant to human impact
Although pumas have been under pressure from human impact since the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, which has undoubtedly drastically reduced their presence in some places and has even been eliminated from certain areas, has had the ability to resist to these aspects, so that currently is not considered in danger of extinction, but the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included it in the category of least concern with a decreasing population trend.
It is classified in different states of conservation
Species that have such a wide range of distribution, as is the case of the puma, may be classified according to the IUCN in a global category, but then each country, depending on the conditions of each local subpopulation, has the possibility of indicating a different category, since in certain cases there are species that have more pressure in some countries than in others. The puma is one of these cases, which is why in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Peru it is classified as near threatened; outside the Amazon as vulnerable; and in Chile in the category of insufficient data.
For all these reasons, it is important to establish conservation plans that help prevent the extinction of the puma, since, although its general classification is "of least concern", the truth is that its population is drastically declining. Now that you know these incredible curiosities of the puma, tell us, do you know any more? Don't stop learning and check out these other articles:
- Where does the cougar live?
- Cougar feeding
