The most common words used for this species (Puma concolor) are puma, cougar, or mountain lion, and there are many others that might be locally common. The panther is a real species and it is used to describe mountain lions, which live in North America (although I rarely hear people refer to them as panthers ). Unlike other lions, they cannot roar but can scream, thus the name “ mountain screamer.” The mountain lions have a plain coloring because of which they acquired the name “concolor.” Their underbodies have lighter patches. The cougars have low-pitched purrs and growls. How can you tell the difference between a cougar and a mountain lion? 14 Are there black panthers in Tennessee?.7 What are female mountain lions called?.4 Is a Black Panther the same as a cougar?.3 What is the difference between a cougar and a puma?.1 How can you tell the difference between a cougar and a mountain lion?.For these reasons it may be necessary to perform DNA analysis to determine positively whether a scat is that of a cougar or another animal. Also, smaller cougars may deposit scats similar in size to those left by bobcats. It is important to note that it may be difficult to tell the difference between the scat of a cougar and that of a large coyote or dog. Cougars leave scat near scrapes, along trails, in arroyos, under overhangs, in caves, and near kills. Vegetation is usually not present in cougar scat but some may contain grass. Hair, bones and teeth commonly appear in cougar scat. Cougar scat is roughly the size of those of a large dog, which distinguishes it from the similar but smaller scat of bobcats and lynx. Each segment is roughly 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Cougar Signs ScatĬougar scat is dense and segmented, with rounded ends that may or not have small “tails”. Characteristics of the terrain – wet, soft, hard, etc.Note: When observing tracks it is important to recognize that several factors may lead to incorrect conclusions about the gender of the animal making the track. The stride length of adult male cougars is usually greater than 40 inches. The stride length of adult female cougars is usually < 40 inches. A cougar carries its heavy tail in a wide U-shape at a normal walk, and in snow, the lower portion of its tail can leave drag marks between each print. Their retractable claws do not show in their prints except on slippery or difficult terrain where they need more traction or during a prey pursuit. TracksĬougar tracks show four toes on both the front and hind paws, and an M-shaped heel pad with two lobes at the top or leading edge, and three lobes at the base. The tail serves to counter-balance the cougar’s movements as they pursue prey and travel across the landscape.
Adult female cougars are usually about 25% smaller than male cougars (about 85 to 110 pounds).Ĭougars can be identified by two primary characteristics: the pelage or coat of adult cougars is uniformly colored tawny, grey-brown or red-brown, and a very thick and long black-tipped tail which measures about half of their body length. Large males can reach up to 180 pounds but that is very uncommon. On average, adult male cougars stand about 30 inches at the shoulders, are about 7 to 8 feet long from nose to the tip of their tail (the tail is about 1/3 of that length), and weigh about 120 to 160 pounds. The cougar is the second largest member of the cat family in the western hemisphere (the jaguar is the largest) and the largest of the North American wild cats.
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