Cougar

Description:

The cougar’s head is round with erect ears; its hind legs are the largest in proportion to its body of any cat. The cougar’s most recognizable feature is its long, heavy tail, which is almost two-thirds the length of its body. Cougars’ coats are generally tawny in color but may vary from silvery-grey to reddish, with lighter patches on the belly, jaws, chin and throat. The kittens are born with spots (which disappear within 8-12 months), blue eyes and rings on their tails. Melanistic cougars have never been documented. Cougars can leap horizontally 20-40 feet and jump vertically up to 18 feet. They can run up to 35-45 mph but are better adapted for short, powerful sprints. They are good climbers and can swim. Cougars are often silent but their vocalizations include low-pitched hisses, growls, purring, chirps, whistles, moaning and screams. This cat, largest of the small cats, has over 40 names in English depending on the region, including mountain lion, puma, mountain cat, catamount, mountain screamer or panther. It is genetically closer to domestic cats than to true lions. A reclusive cat, the cougar usually avoids people. Attacks on humans remain fairly rare, occurring when a particular cats habituates to humans, is starving or threatened. Estimates of human deaths in Canada and the US due to such attacks range from 14-20 over the last 125 years or so.

Habitat:

The cougar has the largest range of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from Canada to the southern Andes of South America. Cougars are found in every major American habitat type, including alpine and subalpine habitats, meadows, fields, scrub, shrub and brushlands, deserts, swamps, marshes and bogs, forests, woodlands, canyons and caves. They prefer habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking, but also live in open areas.

Notes:

Star was rescued and brought to Carolina Tiger Rescue as part of a government seizure at the Collins Zoo in Collins, MS, resulting from an undercover investigation done by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). HSUS filed a complaint against the zoo in March 2010, which eventually resulted in the January 2012 seizure. The complaint cited numerous potential violations of the minimum standards set by the state for housing and care of inherently dangerous animals, including malnourished animals, lack of veterinarian treatment for injuries and flimsy cages. http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_... http://www.carolinatigerrescue.org/anima...