Cougars, pumas, and mountain lions. Are they the same animal? Depending on where you live, you’ve probably heard of at least one of these names. While these are all very different, they actually refer to the same animal; the only difference seems to be where you are when you’re talking about the fearsome North American feline.
So how did this big cat get so many names? Keep reading to find out!
The Many Names of Mountain Lions
While they’re mostly known as mountain lions in North America, these creatures have a seemingly endless-list of names. This is primarily due to their large geographic range, the largest of wany non-human land mammal in the western hemisphere, and the fact they span several countries, languages, and cultures.
The Mountain Lion has settled down in 28 countries from Chile to Canada, at least 16 U.S. states, and has about 40 different names in English alone. It holds the Guinness Book of World Records distinction for Mammal with the Most Names, but all of these names tie back to the scientific Puma concolor.
Some of the lesser-known names include:
- Deer tiger
- Mexican (or American) lion
- Mountain Screamer
- Painter
- Ghost Cat
- Cascade Cougar
But the list goes on and on.
The name “cougar” has an interesting etymology, and it’s believed to come from a Portuguese word “sussuarana” from Tupi words meaning “deer” (suasu) and “false” (rana).
What all Mountain Lions Have in Common
Before we get into their geographic variants, it’s good to start with the similarities. All of these names refer to the Puma concolor, or a large feline that resembles a lion of one solid color. They don’t roar like their cousins overseas, but can make hissing, growling, and shrieking noises, like house cats.
They come in a variety of shades depending on where they live, from rust to gray to tan, but all have spotted babies and grow up with dark marks on their ears, around their snout, and towards the tip of their tail. These tree-dwelling cats also benefit from a whitish belly and chest that blends in with the sky when looking up.
Mountain lions are made to hunt and climb. They have short but powerful legs, the back ones more muscular to give them tremendous jumping power. Their upright ears can move independently to isolate sound, and their oval pupils work well in both day and night time.
Mountain Lion Locations and Variations
Mountain lions are quite adaptable, and they live in a variety of habitats that include:
- Coniferous forests in the mountains
- Tropical forests in the lowlands
- Grasslands and prairies
- Brush country
- Wetlands and swamps
Because of human expansion you will still spot them from time to time on the outskirts of cities. They’ll settle anywhere they can find dense vegetation, adequate cover, and food.
Where they live does affect their physical appearance, even if just slightly. They follow Bergmann’s rule, a biological law that states that populations of the same animal will be larger in colder regions and smaller the closer they get to the equator. Within this, males grow anywhere from 115 to 220 pounds (52 to 100 kg) and females are smaller at 64 to 141 pounds (29 to 64 kg).
In colder regions they tend to have longer, thicker coats of a silver or gray color. Their massive paws have no problem staying atop the snow and keeping them moving faster than their prey, which largely consists of deer and elk that slow down in the winter months.
Those that live further south have shorter, reddish brown coats and bodies that don’t demand too much from their environment. Still, they love to head to the cooler areas, like the Andes Mountains, and still hunt larger prey like guanacos (relatives of llamas, alpacas, and camels).
Are Mountain Lions Dangerous?
Mountain lions are dangerous to those they hunt – sure. But they do their best to avoid humans as much as possible. They prefer to be at the top of the food chain in their large territories, and humans put a damper on that.
As obligate carnivores, they only eat meat. Depending on where they live, this may include:
- Deer
- Sheep
- Guanacos
- Feral pigs and hogs
- Racoons
- Squirrels
- Armadillos
- Hares
They are ambush predators, meaning they stalk their prey in secret before pouncing down on it. Their spines are flexible, like a cheetah’s, making it easy to change direction quickly during the final takedown. Mountain lions often stash their kill and come back for it later, sometimes dragging it up into a tree to keep safe from scavengers like coyotes.
The Future of Mountain Lions
While they’re listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, the mountain lion population is in decline. The Eastern Cougar subspecies was declared extinct in 2011 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Florida Panther population is protected under the Endangered Species Act.
As long as humans continue to expand, they will be a threat to the remaining cougar populations as they fragment their territory with roads and cities, over hunt their food source, and retaliate when mountain lions turn to livestock as prey. Recreational hunting is still allowed on mountain lions in 13 U.S. States, and only about 30,000 remain in North America today.
Because they require about 13 times as much territory as a black bear or 40 times as much as a bobcat, habitat preservation is key to keeping their population up. This will allow them to maintain their role as apex predators, keeping prey populations down and helping curb issues like Lyme disease.
