Wild Paws
by Nicholas Chappell-Hiltz
1. Even if you haven’t seen a cougar, one has probably seen you.
How?
- They stay low, and move quietly on soft, padded paws.
- Sandy-colored fur blends in with the environment, camouflaging them.
- They stick to vegetation and low-visibility areas.
- They are patient ambush predators with incredible agility.
2. Vast Range From Yukon, Canada to Argentina
They live in frigid Canada but also down to tropical Florida, Central and South America. The cougars in Canada and the upper states are usually larger than the hot climate cougars. One of the most famous hot climate cats are the Florida Panthers, which are a subspecies of the cougar.
3. They are more closely related to house cats than lions or tigers.
All cats are in the family Felidae. There are two subfamilies of cats:
Pantherinae (Big Cats): lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, and snow leopards. One distinguishing feature is their ability to roar (except for the snow leopard).
Felinae (Other Cats) : domestic cats, lynxes, cheetahs, bobcats, cougars and more, which cannot roar. These cats typically communicate through purring, chirping and other vocalizations.
Most cougar roars in the media are fake and are usually a mix of other animal sounds like geese and bullfrogs. Cougars actually make noises like purring and hissing, similar to a house cat.
4. Amazing Agility
Even though they weigh 180 to 210 pounds, they can leap up to 18 feet in the air and cover up to 40 feet distance in a single bound.
Strong back legs and a long tail for balance help them accomplish this.
