PUMA CONCOLOR: CHARACTERISTICS, DANGER OF EXTINCTION, HABITAT - BIOLOGY - 2024

The puma (Puma concolor) is a placental mammal that is part of the Felidae family, of which it is the fourth large species. Its distribution is one of the widest of the mammals of the entire American continent, located from the southeast of Alaska to the south of Chile and Argentina.

One of its characteristics is the uniform color of its coat, without spots or stripes. It can be yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, although it may also have a silver-gray color. Another distinguishing aspect is its heavy and long tail, which measures around two-thirds of its total body length.

Cougar. Source: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez (Lmbuga)

Unlike most big cats, the cougar cannot roar, because it lacks the anatomical morphological structure to emit this type of sound. However, it can vocalize growls, hisses and even a "song", which it uses to communicate in mating and when it is with puppies.

The Puma concolor, also known as the lion of the Andes, lives in a variety of regions, including swamps, forests, scrublands, deserts, and the Andean mountains of South America.

Evolution

The puma belongs to the Felinae subfamily, despite the fact that some of its physical characteristics are very similar to the big cats that make up the Pantherinae subfamily.

The Felidae family is native to Asia, in which it lived around 11 million years ago. The evolutionary history of the members of this group has been based on the analysis of mitochondrial DNA, due to its scarce fossil record.

Thanks to recent studies, it is known that the common ancestor of the genera Puma, Leopardus, Felis, Lynx, and Prionailurus migrated across the Bering Bridge to America, a fact that occurred between 8 and 8.5 million years ago.

Later these lineages separated. North American cats arrived in Central and South America as part of the Great American Exchange, after the Isthmus of Panama was formed.

characteristics

Puma concolor in Arizona. Saguaro national park

Extremities

The limbs of the cougar are muscular and short. It has wide legs, the front ones have five toes and the back four. The claws are sharp and retractable, with a curved shape.

Its large legs favor the ability of this species to perform high-speed races in short distances, being able to reach between 64 and 80 km / h. In addition, it contributes with the big jumps and climbing, which allows it to capture its prey or evade a threat. In addition to this, the cougar can swim.

Head

The head is round, with the eyes directed forward. The ears are long, with a rounded tip. It has a short and wide skull, with an arched forehead area.

The jaw, despite being small, is powerfully built. This bone structure, together with the strong muscles of the neck, the retractable claws, and the hindquarters, helps the feline to grasp and support the large animals it hunts.

The nose is made up of broad bones. The third molars, called carnassial teeth, are sharp. These teeth are used to tear and cut the prey.

Cougars, unlike the so-called "big cats", cannot roar. This is due, in addition to having a wide skull and an expanded cranial box, because it lacks the hyoid. Also, their larynx is not specialized to generate the roar that characterizes some of the felines.

Size

Males are about 2.4 meters tall, from nose to tail. The females could measure an average of 2.05 meters. The tail is generally 63 to 95 centimeters long.

The weight of males ranges from 53 to 100 kilograms, while females weigh from 29 to 64 kilograms.

The size of the Puma concolor usually varies depending on the habitat where it resides. In this way, those who live in regions close to the equator are smaller than those who are to the south and north of this geographical line imagine.

Fur

The cougar's fur is short and thick in texture. Besides this, the color is uniform. However, there could be variations of the tones between the different species.

The coloration on the upper parts of the body could range from yellowish brown to grayish brown or silver gray. This aspect could be related to the geographical characteristics and the seasons of the place where it lives.

The belly is usually of a paler color. Likewise, the chest and throat are clear, white. The puma has a pink nose, bordered with black, color that extends to the lips. On the brown tone of the body, the black color of the tip of the tail, the stripes on the muzzle and the area behind the ears stands out.

Taxonomy

Animal Kingdom.

Subkingdom Bilateria.

Phylum Chordata.

Vertebrate Subfilum.

Tetrapoda superclass.

Mammal class.

Subclass Theria.

Infraclass Eutheria.

Order Carnivora.

Suborder Feliformia.

Felidae family.

Genus Puma

Species Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)

Classification (types of

There are six subspecies of Puma concolor, each with its own characteristics and different geographical locations.

Puma concolor anthonyi

It is located to the east of South America, specifically to the northeast of Argentina, to the east of Brazil, Uruguay, the south of Venezuela and to the east of Paraguay. This feline, known as the eastern South American puma, prefers wild places, eventually being able to approach urban centers.

Puma concolor cabrerae

The Argentine cougar, although it has become extinct in much of its original habitat, is currently found in western Paraguay, Bolivia, and central and northwestern Argentina.

Puma concolor concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)

He lives in Colombia, west of Brazil, Peru, north of Bolivia and Venezuela. The puma of South America can coexist with the jaguar, as occurs in the Sangay National Park, located in Ecuador. The diet of this feline can include vicuña, hares and guanaco.

Puma concolor costaricensis

This species is extinct in a large part of its original habitat. However, it can be found in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. The Central American puma lives in wet, gallery and dry forests, but prefers wooded ravines and mountain ranges.

Puma concolor couguar

It lives in the United States and Canada. Its population has decreased, so it can now be found in western Canada and the United States.

The American puma is characterized by having a homogeneous cinnamon color, without spots. Their coat is solid tan in color and their weight ranges from 15 to 80 kilograms.

Danger of extinction

USFWS Mountain-Prairie

The population of the puma is beginning to decrease, which has attracted the attention of international organizations. The reproductive population has been estimated by the IUCN at less than 50,000, with a downward trend.

To prevent further decline, the IUCN has categorized this animal as a species of lesser consideration, in relation to its possible extinction. In addition to this, it is included in Appendix II of CITES and in Appendix I of the subspecies of Central and East America.

In some habitats it presents serious problems that endanger its survival. In 1973, the cougar that lives in eastern North America was included among the endangered animals. Later, in 2018, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the cougar extinct in that region.

Causes

Hunting

It is one of the main reasons why the population of pumas has decreased. On some occasions, these cats kill livestock on farms close to their habitat, which occurs in an opportunistic way rather than usual. This causes them to be hunted to prevent further predation.

Legislation in some states, such as California, protects this species, prohibiting its capture. However, in other entities its sport hunting is allowed.

Habitat fragmentation

The area where the Puma concolor lives is disturbed by logging and by various human activities, such as the construction of roads, urban planning and territories for agriculture.

Accidents

In the state of Florida, from 1979 to 1991, 50% of the deaths were caused by the collision of these animals with motor vehicles, when they were crossing carts or roads.

Actions

The Puma concolor is protected in most of the areas it inhabits, its hunting being prohibited in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela and Uruguay, among others.

Despite these regulations, cougar poaching continues. Due to this, the specialists raise the need to implement programs that contribute to the resolution of the conflict that causes the predation of livestock by the members of this group.

Also, the establishment of wildlife corridors and wide-range areas could favor the sustainability of the populations of this species.

Habitat and distribution

The range in which the puma is distributed is one of the widest in the western hemisphere, considering all land mammals. It inhabits almost the entire American continent, from Canada to southern Chile and Argentina. This includes the United States, Mexico, all of Central and South America.

The countries where the puma is considered native are Mexico, Canada, Belize, the United States, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Guiana, Ecuador, French Guiana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Paraguay, Panama, Brazil, Venezuela and Peru.

However, the range of the cougar has been reduced. The arrival of the European colonizers to North America resulted in the extinction of this species throughout the eastern region, leaving only a remaining population in Florida.

The puma can live in various habitats, from the lowlands to the high mountains of the Andes, such as those in southern Peru, at 5,800 meters above sea level. Thus, although it prefers habitats with dense vegetation, it could be found in open places, where vegetation cover is scarce.

It also inhabits primary and secondary forests, mangroves, scrublands, open moorlands, and subalpine pastures. In Latin America, this species often shares its habitat with the jaguar, especially in dense forests.

Feeding

The puma is an obligate carnivorous animal whose diet is exclusively meat-based. In its range, its prey includes ungulate species such as elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, caribou, mule deer, and caribou.

As a generalist predator, it also tends to hunt smaller animals, including muskrat, squirrels, beaver, porcupine, raccoon, coyote, striped skunk, bobcat, and rabbits.

In addition, you can catch birds, fish and even snails. Occasionally it may attack domestic animals such as calves, goats, sheep, pigs and poultry.

The Puma concolor has a particular way of hunting large prey. Although he is able to run quickly, he prefers ambush.

Once the animal is spotted, it silently stalks it. Then, he jumps on its back and, with a powerful bite at the base of the skull, breaks the neck of the animal. Once dead, it usually hides its prey under debris and leaves, being able to drag it up to 350 meters from where it was captured.

During the day, it often rests less than 50 meters away from where the prey is located. Every night, the cougar goes to the place where he hid it, to feed.

Reproduction

Puma concolor cubs. WL Miller

The female Puma concolor reaches sexual maturity between 18 and 36 months. The male could reproduce after the third year of life. This is reproductively active up to 20 years, while the female is until 12. The estrous cycle lasts 23 days, with an estrus of approximately 8 to 11 days.

The cougar is a solitary animal, except in the reproductive season and when the female raises her cubs. When the female is in heat, she emits vocalizations to indicate to the male that she is ready to mate. It also tends to rub parts of its body against trees and bushes.

The male responds to this call with howls and when he is near the female he smells her genital area. Courtship could occur at any time of the year. However, in those pumas that live to the north, these behaviors tend to be more frequent in the months of December to March.

The mating system of this species is polygynous. It can reproduce at any time of the year, although in high latitudes births generally occur in summer. Gestation lasts between 82 and 96 days, and a litter of up to three cubs can be born.

Young

The young are born weighing 500 grams, with spots on the body and blind. At 10 days old they can open their eyes and have their first teeth. The mother breastfeeds them until 40 days of age, staying together until the cub is 26 months old.

References

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