Cougar

Puma concolor

The cougar is a large American cat known by several common names, including puma and mountain lion. Unlike lions, it generally hunts without a permanent pride structure.

Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

Compare species

Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Eukaryota domain
Opisthokonta clade
Metazoa kingdom
Eumetazoa clade
Bilateria clade
Deuterostomia clade
Chordata phylum
Craniata subphylum
Vertebrata clade
Gnathostomata clade
Teleostomi clade
Euteleostomi clade
Sarcopterygii superclass
Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
Tetrapoda clade
Amniota clade
Mammalia class
Theria clade
Eutheria clade
Boreoeutheria clade
Laurasiatheria superorder
Carnivora order
Feliformia suborder
Felidae family
Felinae subfamily
Puma genus
Puma concolor species

Open in taxonomy explorer ↗

Physical traits

A long tail, muscular body and mostly plain adult coat are characteristic.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Habitat and range

Forests, mountains, scrub and other habitats can be used where cover and prey are adequate.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Diet and nutrition

Ungulates are important prey in many areas, with smaller animals supplementing the diet.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Behavior and activity

Adults are largely solitary outside mating and mothers with young. Cover supports stalking, and captured prey may be sheltered for later feeding.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Geographic distribution

The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, United States, Venezuela, Uruguay?.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗