The mountain lion is found in South and Middle America, USA, Alaska and Middle Canada. This predator is also called a puma, or a cougar. A beautiful and graceful beast by nature - a great individualist.
External difference
Mountain lion (or puma) lives only on the American continent. This is a very large animal, the length of the male reaches two meters forty centimeters. The female is a little smaller, it does not happen more than two meters. This wild cat is only slightly smaller than a jaguar.
Mountain lion of the stronger sex can weigh from sixty to one hundred kilograms. Female - from thirty to sixty-five. Females are weaker than males, but they are more graceful. Among the large predatory cats, the mountain lion is in fifth place: the first is the tiger, the second is the African lion, the third is the Asiatic lion, and the fourth is the jaguar. The cougar has strong and massive hind legs, a round head and protruding ears.
This is a big enough cat. A mountain lion weighing 125 kg was killed in Arizona. The color of the cougar can have a different shade and color. Adult animals are red, silver, dark yellow. The wool that is inlower body, slightly lighter than upper body.
When a wildcat baby is born, it is covered with dark spots, and the tail is striped. Over time, the coat will become monochromatic. Puma is an excellent jumper, the height of the jump can reach about six meters, but its length is sometimes twelve meters.
Ability and life of a mountain lion
As mentioned above, the cougar's hind legs are very powerful. Running speed - up to 70 km per hour. The American mountain lion is excellent at climbing tree branches. The structure of the body contributes to a short and swift run, the cougar cannot overcome long distances. This predatory animal is an excellent hunter and can exist both on flat terrain and in the mountains.
Mountain lion by nature is an individualist, prefers to live alone. In pairs, cougars (as the cat is also called) are grouped only in order to breed. This is a very short period of time (approximately ten days). In ordinary life, the female and male have their own separate territory, where they hunt. The female cougar owns about 25 square meters, male cats have up to 50 square meters. Cougars mark their territory with feces and urine. The cougar does not invade other people's possessions, otherwise the conflict cannot be avoided.
Mountain lion breeding
When a female reaches the age of three, she becomes sexually mature. The cougar's gestation period lasts three months. During this time, the cat prepares a place where she will give birth to her cubs. The female equips a lair in a stone niche (or cave). Average Cougargives birth to two or three babies, but sometimes it can be one cub or as many as six. The cougar feeds her newborn for three months with milk. After that, the mother takes the children hunting and teaches everything that she herself can do. At the age of six months, babies try to catch their first small prey.
Until the age of two, wild cat cubs live with their mother. After they leave their family and begin to live alone. Females stay near their mother a little longer than males. Young animals often die in the wild, because young cougars are very quick-tempered and constantly conflict with their relatives. As a rule, only one cub survives from one brood.
Mountain lion food
Puma's favorite treats are mice and frogs, rabbits and birds, reptiles and grasshoppers. They also prey on small and medium-sized ungulates. People living in agricultural areas, the cougar is called a "harmful creature." Puma often attacks sheep. On the hunt, a predatory cat quickly jumps on prey and plunges its teeth into the victim's scruff of the neck. Sometimes the maneuver fails, then the mountain lion does not try to catch up with the animal, because the cougar cannot run for a long time. It is easier for her to pick up a new victim. When the hunt is successful, the cougar buries the remains of the carcass in branches or snow. The next day, the cougar will return for his food. The mountain lion lives for over twenty years.
