In the south of Canada and in the forests of the United States lives a graceful, beautiful and very strong predator - the cougar. The animal has more than fifty different names, but it is used most often. The beast belongs to the family of wild small cats, therefore, it has inherent ideal genetic skills, good eyesight and hearing. In some regions, the puma is called a mountain lion, and this is no accident, because the animal in appearance resembles a small lioness, only the muzzle is smaller and rounder, and the ears are semicircular.
The habitat of the predator is quite wide, it feels good both in the mountainous terrain and in the plains or swamps. The ability to adapt to any conditions helps a lot in the struggle for survival, even at an altitude of more than 3 km there was a cougar. The animal, living high in the mountains, is slightly smaller in size, which gives it agility and confidence. The predator leads a solitary lifestyle, males rarely encounter bloody fights, because they have a habit of marking the territory, warning the rest of the animals that the place is taken.
Only for the time of procreation, predators look for a mate. At this time, they prefer to hide and get into people's eyes as little as possible. The female produces from one to three cubs, the pregnancy lasts 100 days. Excellent running speed is different such as a cougar, an animal. A photo of a predator during an attack on a prey gives an idea of his skill and quick wit. Jumps were recorded at a height of about 3-4 m, in addition, the cougar can jump from a height of 18 m and at the same time remain alive and unharmed.
The main object of hunting for a predator is deer, but when there are few of them, the beast does not neglect other prey. Small birds, groundhogs, anteaters,
meadow dogs, porcupines, skunks, snakes and turtles also get their own cougar. The animal has very powerful limbs, but does not like to run for a long time, because it quickly loses strength. For this reason, the predator has developed another tactic - to attack from an ambush. The cougar imperceptibly creeps up to the victim, prepares for the jump and makes a swift, like a rocket, attack.
When only the native population lived on the American continent, and Columbus did not open the New Land for Europeans, such as a cougar, an animal lived quietly on the mainland and multiplied. Black Panther has long been considered one of its varieties, but this turned out to be an erroneous assumption. Puma is a separate species, and before it was found everywhere. After the arrival of the first settlers, cities began to grow, and farms were built to raise livestock. Predators were addicted to horses, especially they liked the foal meat, constant attacks provoked fury from the locals, and the animals began to be massacred.
In some regions, after the disappearance of
mountain lions , a huge number of armadillos appeared, causing farms even greater losses. In 1960, about 6,000 individuals remained in America, biologists began to sound the alarm, because the cougar was almost on the verge of extinction. The animal is now protected by law, three subspecies immediately entered into the Red Book. The cougar does not pose a particular danger to humans, she prefers not to show her eyes and preys only on animals. If there have been cases of attack, then this is just an attempt to protect your life or cubs.