User:SlowGraffiti/Puma temp

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iPuma

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Felinae
Genus:	Puma Jardine, 1834
Species:	P. concolor

Binomial name

Puma concolor
(Linnaeus, 1771)

The Puma (Puma concolor, previously Felis concolor) is a mammal of the Felidae family, and the only member of the genus Puma. It is also commonly known as the mountain lion, cougar, panther, and catamount. Pumas are found across North, Central, and South America.

1 Naming
2 Physical characteristics
3 Population and distribution
- 3.1 Puma populations of the United States and Canada
4 Subspecies
5 Hybrids
6 Color morphs
- 6.1 Attacks on humans
  - 6.1.1 Puma safety tips
7 Puma in popular culture
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links

[edit] Naming

The word puma comes from Quechua, a Native American language of South America. Its species name, concolor, is Latin for "one color," a reference to its solid coat. The puma is known by several names, many of which are regional: painter, American lion, Mexican lion, silver lion, brown tiger, red tiger, deer tiger, ghost cat, mountain screamer, Indian devil, sneak cat, king cat, and painted cat. The puma has over 40 different names in the English language.^[1] In Brazil it is also known as suçuarana, from the Tupian languages, but has other names as well.

The use of the term panther is regional. In North America, mostly in the United States, it is used to refer to a puma. However, in Eurasia, panther refers to a leopard; in South America, panther refers to a jaguar.

[edit] Physical characteristics

Pumas are tawny-colored with black-tipped ears and tail. The puma can run as fast as 70 km/h (43.5 mph), jump 6 m (20 ft) from a standing position, vertically leap 2.5 m (8 ft). They have been seen to jump horizontally 12m (40 ft) and vertically nearly 5m (16 ft). One puma was observed jumping 3.6m (12 ft) up into a tree while still holding a deer in its jaws. Their bite strength is more powerful than that of any domestic dog. Puma claws are retractable and they have four toes. They are slightly larger than leopards but smaller and less robust than the jaguar. Adult males may be more than eight feet (2.4 m) long (nose to tail), and have an average mass of about 60-70 kg (weigh approx 150 lb). Some may reach over 100kg. One in particular which was shot in Arizona weighed 125kg (275 lb) after it had its intestines removed. Females are much smaller and an adult can be 2 m (7 ft) long and have a mass of about 35 kg (weigh approx 75 lb). Puma kittens have brownish-blackish spots and rings on their tails. Their life span is about a decade in the wild and 25 years or more in captivity.

Pumas that live closest to the equator are the smallest, and increase in size in populations closer to the poles.

[edit] Population and distribution

The range of the puma

Pumas have one of the largest ranges of any wild cat, holding competition with only the Eurasian Lynx, Wild Cat and greatly spread Leopard. Before the modern human population explosion in the Americas, the puma ranged across most of the Americas. Even now, it has the widest range of any New World land animal, spanning 110 degrees of latitude, from the northern Yukon Territory (in Canada) to the southern Andes (on both the Chilean and Argentinian sides). They have also been sighted recently in Northern Connecticut and other parts of New England. One of the only locations where the puma is in great danger is within the United States, mainly Florida and other parts of the East Coast. This is mostly due to human infringement, clashing with cities and other urban "advancements" or because of the loss of territories that urbanization brings. When pumas are found and relocated to more "wild" parts of the state, they are put into competition with already existing cats.

[edit] Puma populations of the United States and Canada

Hunted almost to extinction in the United States and eastern Canada, the puma has made a dramatic comeback, with an estimated 30,000 individuals in the western United States. In Canada, pumas are found west of the prairies, in Alberta, British Columbia and the southern Yukon. The densest concentration of pumas in North America is found on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Pumas are gradually extending their range to the east, following creeks and riverbeds, and have reached Missouri, Michigan and throughout Kansas including the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Pumas have been seen along the northern shore of Lake Superior with an attack on a horse in Ely, Minnesota in 2004. It is anticipated that they will soon expand their range over the entire eastern and southern United States. There are continuing reports of the survival of a remnant population of the Eastern Cougar in New Brunswick, Ontario, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec.

Due to urbanization in the urban-wildland interface, pumas often come into contact with people, especially in areas with a large population of deer, their natural prey. They have also begun preying on pets, such as dogs and cats, and livestock, but have rarely turned to people as a source of food.

There are an estimated 4,000 to 6,000 pumas in California (est. circa 1990) and an estimated 4,500 to 5,000 in Colorado.

[edit] Subspecies

Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi)

Puma, photographed in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
Wisconsin Cougar (Puma concolor shorgeri) (extinct, but numerous sightings have been reported)
Eastern Cougar (Puma concolor cougar)
Mexican Cougar (Puma concolor azteca)
Costa Rican Cougar (Puma concolor costaricensis)
Brazilian Cougar (Puma concolor concolor)
Baja Californian Cougar (Puma concolor improcera)
Patagonian Puma (Puma concolor patagonica)
Missoula Cougar (Puma concolor missoulensis)
Colorado Cougar (Puma concolor hippolestes)
Oregon Cougar (Puma concolor oregonensis)
Vancouver Island Cougar (Puma concolor vancouverensis)
California Cougar (Puma concolor californica)
Kaibab Cougar (Puma concolor kaibabensis)
Yuma Puma (Puma concolor browni)
Texas Cougar (Puma concolor stanleyana
Mayan Cougar (Puma concolor mayensis)
Colombian Cougar (Puma concolor bangsi)
Ecuador Cougar (Puma concolor soderstromi)
Amazon Cougar (Puma concolor discolor)
Incan Cougar (Puma concolor incarum)
Bolivian Cougar (Puma concolor osgoodi)
Mato Grosso Cougar (Puma concolor acrocodia)
Chilean Puma (Puma concolor puma)
Argentine Puma (Puma concolor pearsoni)
Andes Puma (Puma concolor araucanus)

[edit] Hybrids

Hybrids between subspecies of puma have occurred where new blood (via pumas from Texas) has been introduced into the Florida panther. Although a controversial move, the hybrids are more vigorous than pure Florida panthers and the deleterious consequences of excessive inbreeding are averted.

In spite of not being closely related to the pantherine big cats, hybrids between pumas and leopards have been bred and are called pumapards. Hybrids between a puma and an ocelot have also been bred. Hybrids between pumas and jaguars have been reported, but none have been proven.

[edit] Color morphs

The normal coloration of the puma is tawny or sandy, mimicking their principal prey, the deer. Kittens have irregular blotches of darker brown which can sometimes persist into adolescence but disappear by the time the cat is a year old. Abnormally pale and even white (leucistic but not albino) pumas exist. Abnormally dark brown pumas with paler bellies have been described, primarily from South and Central America and were described as couguar noire in Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. There are no authenticated reports of truly melanistic pumas.

[edit] Attacks on humans

Attacks on humans are rare, but do occur — especially as humans encroach on wildlands and impact the availability of the puma's traditional prey. There were around 100 puma attacks on humans in the USA and Canada during the period from 1890 to January 2004, with 16 fatalities; figures for California were 14 attacks and 6 fatalities. Attacks by puma on humans and pets are associated with urban areas situated in the wildland urban intermix such as the Boulder, Colorado area which have encouraged the traditional prey of the puma, the mule deer, to habituate to urban areas and the presence of people and pets. Pumas in such circumstances may come to lose their fear of both people and dogs and come to see them as prey.

On January 8, 2004 a puma killed and partly ate a mountain biker in Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park in Orange County, California; what is assumed to be the same animal attacked another mountain biker in the park the following day, but was fought off by other bikers. A young male puma was shot nearby by rangers later in the day.

Pumas cannot be hunted in California except under very specific circumstances. This, as well as the extinction in California of the wolf and brown bear, has allowed the puma to greatly increase its numbers. Adult black bears may be able to kill pumas and steal their kills but generally conflict between the two predators does not occur. California law requires that wild animals who have attacked a human must be killed if they can be located.

[edit] Puma safety tips

Carry a firearm and be prepared to use it if charged at by a puma. Although, the noise from firing a warning shot should in most cases be enough to scare off a puma.
Do not hike alone; go in groups with adults supervising children.
If confronted by a puma, do not run; that might stimulate its instinct to chase. Instead, stand and face the animal, making eye contact.
Pick up young children without bending or turning from the puma (if possible). (Comment: When under an attack by a dog, experts recommend NOT picking up a child; because that act may be interpreted as you attacking. And that would encourage the dog(s) to join in the supposed attack. Instead place yourself between the animal and the child. Whether or not this applies to cougars is open.)
Do everything possible to appear larger or intimidating, including raising arms wildly, opening up jacket, and throwing stones and branches.
Do not crouch down or bend over; this may create the appearance of an ordinary quadruped prey rather than a typically non-prey biped.
Fight back if attacked. Pumas have been repelled with rocks, sticks, garden tools, kicks, and bare hands; a well placed kick to the face has been known to work.
The best place to hit a puma is on the nose.
Remove dense and low-lying vegetation that provide good hiding places for pumas.
Install motion-sensitive outdoor lighting.
Keep pets from roaming and never feed pets outside. Be wary when leaving pets outside, particularly at dawn and dusk.
Do not climb a tree as pumas can climb just as well as (if not much better than) humans.

Jogging, running, and biking on wildland trails can be particularly hazardous since such runners are likely to be less attentive to the surroundings and the motion can trigger a "chase and kill" reflex in the animal. Talk to local authorities or park rangers to see if it is advisable before taking such a risk.

[edit] Puma in popular culture

In Red vs Blue episode 2 Red Team's new warthog is called a Puma by Grif.
The University of Houston features a cougar as a mascot, named Shasta.
PUMA is the name of a well known German athletics equipment brand. Its logo is a leaping Puma.
In the video game Gitaroo Man, the sidekick of the main character is a bionic dog named PUMA.
Pete Puma is a Warner Bros. cartoon character famous for getting a whole lot of lumps from Bugs Bunny.