The Cougar

Subject: The Cougar Sat Nov 19, 2011 4:06 pm

visitthefarm.com wrote:: Description: Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma, Panther, they have many names. A Cougar is a large tan colored cat. They can weigh between 100 – 145lbs. They have thick fur, and very little body fat.

Habitat: Cougars used to live all over North America, but they have been hunted to extinction in all but a few areas. They like to live in wild places like mountains, forests or swamps.

Diet: Cougars are predators. That means they hunt other animals for food. Their favorite meal is a deer. Cougars eat up to ten pounds of meat a day. That’s 40 hamburgers!

Reproduction: Mountain lions are solitary except for a short breeding period of up to two weeks duration. The gestation period is about 3 months. The number of young ranges from two to five, averaging three. At birth, the kittens are woolly, spotted, have short tails, and weigh about 450 g each. They develop teeth when about a month old, are weaned when about 2 or 3 months old, and may remain with their mother until more than 1 year old. Adult females usually breed for the first time between two and three years of age, and breed once every two or three years afterwards. They may live for 15 - 18 years in the wild.