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Although a male cougar can weigh up to 200 lbs, this animal is considered one of
the smaller great cats of the world and i s
known across it by many different names. Cougars are often times referred to as
pumas, mountain lions, Mexican lions, red tiger, deercat, mountain devil, king
cat, silver lion, mountain screamer, catamount or panthers (Florida) and their
habitats used to be widespread all over North and South America from southern
Argentina, through the US, all the way up to northern British Columbia.
Nowadays, because of hunting and
the disappearance of habitats due to human progress, they are forced back into
more mountainous and less populated areas.
The
cougar’s natural habitat includes but is not limited to: Tundra, taiga,
temperate forest & rainforest, grasslands, desert, tropical savanna and of
course mountains. They are carnivores that are active both day and night and
their prey consists of a variety of mammals, birds and fish. If larger animals
such as white-tail deer, caribou and moose are not available, the cougar is able
to adapt quickly and switch to smaller prey such as raccoon, skunk, birds and
fish. The ability to adapt to different circumstances has saved Felis concolor
from becoming extinct.
Cougars
can range in weight from about 150 lbs. to 200 lbs and their coat ranges from a
brownish-yellow to grayish-brown color with a lighter shade of color on their
belly. Felis concolor means “cat of one color”, however their color varies
depending on their habitat. In the
colder areas, their coat will be more gray in color, in the warmer regions their
coat leans more to a reddish brown. Unlike popular belief, there exists no such
thing as a black panther. Melanistic cougars do not exist, they are a legend and
when people refer to black panthers, they actually mean black leopards or black
jaguars that do exist in nature.
 Pumas
have a pink nose and the back of their ears and tip of their tail is black.
Their tail can be almost as long as their body length and is used for balance.
Their back legs are more developed than their front legs which allows them to
ambush their prey and jump on their
backs to go in for the kill. The strong muscle development in the back also
enables the cougar to maneuver in the more difficult mountainous areas and steep
ravines.
A
solitary animal, the male cougar does team up with different females during
mating season which is usually from December through March. Females can
reproduce up to the age of 12 years, where males can be reproductive up to the
age of 20 years. The female can give birth to 1 - 6 cubs at a time and the cubs
have blue eyes with a spotted coat, which gives them a better camouflage for
their protection while they’re young. The spots and blue eye color disappear
after approximately 6 months. The only time you will see a cougar that is not
alone, is when mom has cubs that she keeps with her for up to 12 months until
they go out on their own. The average life span of a cougar in the wild is 10-15
years, in captivity cases have been reported up to 25 years of age.
Florida
Panther: Puma concolor coryi
The Florida panther
is a subspecies of the puma and is only found in the state it was named after
and very rare at that. Many will claim to posses a Florida Panther but the
species is very rare and highly endangered due to habitat destruction and
inbreeding. The truth is the Florida Panther is on the brink of extinction and
we all know it is forever.
The
Florida Panther was first placed on the endangered species list in 1967.
Conservation efforts have only recently become significant to ensure that the
animal will not become extinct. For example, similar to the initiatives taken
for the preservation of African Cheetah's in the wild, a program is in effect to
combat the problems associated with inbreeding due to low population. To
increase genetic variation in the current population of Florida Panthers they
are being introduced to Texas Cougars in the wild, which is another subspecies
believed to be closest related to Felis concolor coryi. It must be said however,
that the biggest threat to the Florida Panther still remains man, whether
indirectly or directly affecting the animal population in the state. When we
build housing development
s and roads, the increasing amount of animals hit by cars (commonly referred to
as road kill) lures the panthers out into harms way as they try to haul off
their prey as inevitably their habitat decreases more and more.
What
distinguishes the Florida Panther from the other cougars?
First
of all, the Florida Panther is the smallest of the cougars. Their body length
can be anywhere between 6 or 7 ft. and they weigh anywhere from 90 to 150 lbs.
The females are usually smaller in size than the males. This animal has much
shorter and coarser hair with a deeper brown color than the regular Puma
concolor. Along the back of the animal, the
coat is normally more reddish and they have a spot in the middle of the back
that is characterized by a thick concentration of darker hair that is a clear
pattern break from the rest of the coat. In addition to that, the cat has
irregular white spots on it's head, neck, and shoulders and the tail has a right
angle hook at the end of it. In order for a cougar to be considered a Florida
Panther, all of the above characteristics need to be present together as some or
all of them are not found in the regular species.
So
when you go out there on your wildlife tours, and someone claims to have a
Florida Panther, look for the above characteristics and ask about it. Now you
know!
MEET
OUR COUGARS
LUCY
 Lucy is a seven year
old western Cougar. She was raised by a family in Arkansas for three years in
their house, then another three years in a cage in their back yard. In the Fall
of 1998, the family needed to relocate to Florida. Her owner was a pilot who was
transferred by his employer.
The family was unable to obtain a license to own Lucy in Florida, and they
were unable to find a proper home for her. She was scheduled to be put to sleep
by their veterinarian the next morning when they found out about us.
She was flown to Florida in a jet by her owner (compliments of his employer),
and we picked her up right away. She is happily living at our compound, along
with five others of her kind.
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NOBLE
 Noble is a male Cougar
born in June, 1995. At the age of eight months, he was dropped off and custody
was given to a tourist attraction in Florida. When he was 3 ½ years old, the
tourist attraction needed more cage space, they were apparently getting some new
cubs. They asked us if we would provide a home for him. Since March, 1999, Noble
has been happily living on our compound with several others of his own kind to
keep him company, including other cats from the same tourist attraction.
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CHEYENNE
 Cheyenne
is a female cougar who came to us when her previous owners could no longer
keep her. She had been left
to board at a breeding facility because her owners could not properly care
for her. Eventually, her owners
stopped visiting and no longer paid for her care.
Abandoned, the facility where she was living assumed total
responsibility for her care.
Her days
of moving around are now over. She
will live out the rest of her life with others of her own kind in a
natural setting at our sanctuary.
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MAHARI
 Mahari
is a cougar who was rescued by the Department of Natural Resources in
Minnesota and sent to our sanctuary for lifetime care.
He arrived at our facility, missing half of each ear due to
frostbite, over 100 pounds underweight, with broken canines and scars from
head to toe.
He was limping from what appears to be an extremely bad de-clawing,
reportedly done by his former owner without veterinary assistance.
As soon as he arrived we immediately had a veterinarian look at him and
put him on a special diet.
He has come around beautifully; although we can never repair his
damaged teeth and backyard de-clawing. He is now at the proper weight and
very appreciative of the loving care he has received here. Most of the
time, when an animal arrives at our facility, neglected as badly as Mahari,
it takes them a long time to learn to trust humans again.
Not this guy – he obviously can tell the difference and
immediately knew that we were helping him.
His name was decided easily – “Mahari”, meaning forgiver.
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THOR
 Thor
is a cross between a Florida Panther and a cougar, who came to us when his
previous owner could no longer keep him. He was originally a product of the Florida Panther breeding
research in the everglades. Born
into captivity, his caregiver needed to find a home for him when
the land on which that facility was located was in the process of
being sold. Thor came to us with three other cougars (among others
Cheyenne and Wendy), since they were not able to be released into the wild.
He will live out the rest of his life with others of his own kind
in a natural setting at our sanctuary.
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WENDY
Wendy came from the same
facility as Thor, we believe they may be siblings but we have no record
to prove it. Born
into captivity, her caregiver needed to find a home for her when
the land on which that facility was located was in the process of
being sold. She will live out the rest of his life with others of her own kind
in a natural setting at our sanctuary sharing the same habitat as Thor and
Cheyenne.
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MARQUESA
 Marquesa was a
female Florida panther. We are unsure of her birth date, but she was showing some
definite signs of old age. She came to us in March, 1999 from a tourist
attraction in Florida. When she arrived, she was suffering from arthritis and
wouldn't even jump up on her platform. We immediately began giving her
supplements for her arthritis and an excellent diet. We always try to keep our
animals on dirt floors instead of concrete – this had made a big difference
for Marquesa. She was running and jumping like she was several years younger
before she passed away earlier this year. She died peacefully in her sleep, we miss her
very much.
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