 |
 |
 |
The
Puma (Puma concolor) may also be known in Ontario as cougar, mountain
lion, or eastern panther. There are over forty other names for this one cat
making it the most named creature in the Western Hemisphere. To take advantage
of its prey the colour of the Ontario Puma may be brownish-gray like the white-tailed
deer, reddish-brown like the moose or light beige like the woodland caribou.
Its undersides are buff-white, the chin, throat, and chest area are white
and the sides of the jaw, back of its rounded ears and the tip of its long
tail are black. Young Pumas up to six months old have black spots and streaked
tails that fade as they grow older. Males may be 1.7 to 2.7 metres long and
weigh between 60 to 100 kilograms while females may be 1.5 to 2.3 metres long
and weigh between 35 to 60 kilograms. These lengths include the tail which
is approximately one third of its length.
The Puma walks on its toes, has padded feet, and webbing and hair between its toes creating a stealth hunter. It also has large temporalis and masseter muscles along with large canine teeth to sever the spinal cord of its prey. Further back in the mouth the Puma has sharp carnassial teeth which enable it to sheer off large chunks of meat which it swallows whole. The Ontario Puma will prey on white-tailed deer, moose, woodland caribou, beaver, hare, rabbit, grouse, skunk, woodchuck, and for experienced Pumas, porcupine.
 |
| Puma den sight in Ontario. Location not disclosed to protect the Puma. |
The Puma is polyestrous therefore they may breed at any time of the year but late winter or early spring is more common. Males are polygamous, mating with several females surrounding his home territory. Females are monogamous, mating with only one male. After a gestation period of three months the female gives birth to a litter of one to three kittens. The kittens are weaned at approximately three months and will stay with the mother up to two years.
The male Puma has a range of 150 to 1000 square kilometres while the female may have a range of only 65 to 500 square kilometres - ranges will overlap with each other. To put this into perspective, Algonquin Park is 7600 square kilometres.
 Puma Roar |
Female in Heat |
Puma Purring |
(courtesy of Kim A. Cabrera, www.bear-tracker.com) |
||