The Life of Animals | Cougar | Cougars are Slender and agile members of the cat family. Adult males are around 2.4 m (7.9 ft) long nose to tail and females averages 2:05 m (6.7 ft), with overall ranges the between 1.5 to 2.75 m (4.9 to 9.0 ft) nose to tail suggested for the species in general Females typically weigh the between 29 and 64 kg (64 and 141 lb), averaging 42 kg (93 lb). Cougar size is smallest close to the equator, and larger Towards the poles. The largest recorded cougar was shot in Arizona and weighed 125.5 kilograms (276 pounds) after its intestines removed were the resource persons, Indicating That in life Could it have weighed Nearly 136.2 kilograms (300 pounds). Several male cougars in British Columbia weighed the between 86.4 and 95.5 kilograms (190 to 210 pounds).
The larger front feet and claws are adaptations to clutching prey. Cougars can be almost as large as jaguars, but are less muscular and not as powerfully built; where Their ranges overlap, the cougar tends to be Smaller than average. Besides the jaguar, the cougar is on average larger than all felids outside of the Old World lion and tigers. Compared to the "big cats", Cougars are silent Often with minimal communication through vocalizations outside of the mother-offspring relationship. Sometimes cougars voice low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles, many of the which are comparable to Those of domestic cats.
Despite anecdotes to the contrary, all-black coloring (melanism) has never been documented in cougars. Cougars have large Paws and proportionally the largest Hind legs in the cat family Physique This allows it great leaping and short-sprint ability. Female cougars are fiercely protective of Their cubs, and have been seen to successfully fight off animals as large as grizzly bears in Their defense. One study has shown high mortality amongst Cougars That Travel Farthest from the maternal range, Often due to conflicts with other cougars (intraspecific competition).
Cougars may live as long as 20 years in captivity. One North American male cougar, named Scratch, was two months short of his 30th birthday he Pls Died in 2007. Causes of death in the wild include disability and disease, competition with other cougars, starvation, accidents, and, where allowed, human hunting. Feline immunodeficiency virus, an endemic of HIV-like virus in cats, is well-adapted to the cougar. The cougar has the largest range of any wild land animal in the Americas. Studies show That the cougar prefers regions with dense underbrush, but can live with little vegetation in open areas Its preferred habitats include precipitous canyons, escarpments, rim rocks, and dense brush
The cougar was extirpated across much of its eastern North American range (with the exception of Florida) in the two Centuries after European Colonization, and faced grave threats in the remainder of its territory. Currently, it ranges across most western American states, the Canadian Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and the Canadian Yukon Territory. DNA evidence has suggested its presence in eastern North America, while a consolidated map of cougar sightings shows numerous reports, from the mid-western Great Plains through to Eastern Canada. The Quebec wildlife services (known locally as MRNF) cougar also considers to be present in the province as a Threatened species after multiple DNA tests confirmed cougar hair in Lynx ing sites.
Typically, extreme-range sightings of cougars involve young males, the WHO can travel great distances to Establish ranges away from established males; all four confirmed cougar kills in Iowa since 2000 INVOLVED males. On April 14, 2008 police shot and killed a cougar on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. DNA tests were the resource persons consistent with cougars from the Black Hills of South Dakota. Less than one year later, on March 5, 2009, a cougar was photographed and unsuccessfully tranquilized by state wildlife biologists in a tree near Spooner, Wisconsin in the Northwestern part of the state The Indiana Department of Natural Resources used motion-sensitive cameras to confirm the presence of a cougar in Greene County in southern Indiana on May 7, 2010. Another sighting in late 2009 in Clay County in west-central Indiana was confirmed by the DNR On June 10, 2011, a cougar was observed roaming near Greenwich, Connecticut.
When wildlife officials Examined the cougar's DNA, That They concluded it was a wild cougar from the Black Hills of South Dakota, the which Had wandered at least 1.500 miles east over an indeterminate time period. The cougar's total breeding population is estimated at less than 50.000 by the IUCN, with a declining trend of U.S. state-level statistics are Often more optimistic, suggesting cougar Populations have rebounded. Due to the expanding human population, cougar ranges increasingly overlap with areas inhabited by Humans. Attacks on Humans are rare, as cougar prey recognition is a learned behavior and They do not Generally Recognize Humans as prey. Attacks are most frequent During late spring and summer, juvenile cougars leave Their mothers and search for new territory. Between 1890 and 1990, there were the resource persons in North America 53 reported, confirmed attacks on Humans, resulting in 48 nonfatal injuries and 10 Deaths of Humans (the total is Greater Than 53 Because some attacks Had more than one victim). By 2004, the count Had climbed to 88 attacks and 20 Deaths. Within North America, the distribution of attacks is not uniform. As with many predators, a cougar may attack if cornered, if a fleeing human stimulates Their instinct to chase, or if a person "plays dead".
Fighting back with sticks and rocks, or even bare hands, is Often effective in persuading an attacking cougar to Disengage. When cougars do attack, They usually employ Their characteristic neck bite, Their teeth Attempting to position the between the vertebrae and into the spinal cord. Detailed research into attacks prior to 1991 showed That 64% of all Victims-and almost all fatalities were the resource persons-children. The same study showed the highest proportion of attacks to have Occurred in British Columbia, particularly on Vancouver Island where cougar ESPECIALLY Populations are dense. Preceding attacks on Humans, Cougars display aberrant behavior, including: active During daylight hours, unafraid of Humans, and Humans stalking Sometimes There have been incidents of pet cougars mauling people
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