Puma concolor is known by many names: mountain lion, puma, cougar, catamount, and panther, but all refer to the same species. Mountain lions have the widest geographic range of any mammal in the Western Hemisphere. They roam across North and South America, but due to hunting pressures the mountain lion went extinct in the eastern United States except for a small population in Florida. Additionally, it is the second largest cat in the Americas after the jaguar, but its solid brown coat and leaner build makes it easy to tell the two cats apart.
Mountain Lion Facts:
- Male mountain lions can have a home range of 85 square miles
- They are top predators in the ecosystem and help manage prey populations
- Prey consists of deer, peccaries, and other medium sized mammals
- Mountain lions scream and yowl but don’t roar
See other mammals that roam the Sky Islands here and come join us to celebrate wildlife at the border on October 5, 2019 at our Celebration of Crossborder Cats at Coronado Memorial from 10am to 4pm.
Mountain Lion Fact Sources: