Content including photographs are Copyright © 2011 - Present - Don & Linda Gilmore
These cats are native to the Americas and also live in the desert. This large solitary cat has the greatest range of any large wild mammal in the Western Hemisphere, extending from the Yukon in Canada to the Southern Andes of South America. They are related to smaller felines. Depending on their size and age they prey on cattle, horses, bighorn sheep, deer, and domestic sheep as well as eating insects and rodents. They are reclusive and usually avoid people. The largest cat species in the Western Hemisphere is the Jaguar with the Cougar being second largest.
- Cougar
- Catamount
- Mountain Lion
- Mountain Cat
- Puma
- Panther
- Painter
This cat holds the record for the most different names of any animal -- over 40 in English alone.
Cougar, Jaguarundi, Bobcat
Due to excessive hunting this large cat is non-existent in the Eastern United States, however an isolated population of them lives in Florida. They exist in small groups and very territorial. The size of their territory depends on the type of habitat and the availability of food. Some have a very large range.
Height 2 to 2.5 ft. tall at the front shoulders
Length 5 to 9 ft. from nose to tail
Weight avg. males - 115 to 196 lbs.
females - 64 to 141 lbs.
Speed 35 to 43 miles an hour.
Litter size 1 to 6 with 3 being normal.
These cats are often killed by Wildlife authorites. In Arizona a cat was killed in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge because he killed too many sheep and deer in several weeks time. More than he needed for his survival. So be careful you don't buy too much food when shopping, someone may be watching. The Cougar is a killer and often kills just to keep up his prowess and abilities as a hunter. This is normal and should not be a reason to kill an animal.
These cats are rarely seen in the United States. They are normally seen in Southern Mexico, throughout Central America and in South America. In some of these areas they are abundant and live in fairly large numbers. They are however mostly solitary like the Cougar. Their coloration varies from two different phases -- the red phase and the gray phase. They gray phase can be almost solid black. The administrator of this site saw one in 2008 in Southern Arizona for a very brief time. They haven't been seen in Arizona in over 50 years. In Florida they have been seen on a regular basis since 1950. Other sightings of black cats in the United States in other regions may be attributed to this species. But until one is captured the species being seen is still unidentified.
Length 30 inches
Height 20 inches tall
Weight 13.2 lbs.plus
Litter size 3 being normal
These cats are smaller and have shorter legs. They also have a shorter snout than other cats. They are mostly daytime hunters, unlike other cats that are active in the evenings and at night, looking for smaller game animals like rabbits and foul.
Southern Texas through Central America to the Southern tip of the Andes Mountains in South America.
Southern Canada to central Mexico, including most of the United States.
The Bobcat is in the same genus as the Canadian Lynx and is twice the size of most household cats. It is smaller than the Canadian Lynx. It prefers brushy, hilly, or mountainous habit. Seen very seldom in the barren desert areas, but often on their fringes. Their favorite food being rabbits and when available wild turkeys. As the name suggests they have a bobbed tail that is only a few inches in length.
Length 35 inches
Height 20 to 24 inches tall
Weight 30 lbs.max.
Litter size 3 being normal
Av. Life span 8 years.
Litter size 2 to 4 normally
They will also kill and eat deer when nothing smaller is available to them. They are opportunistic hunters. They can be distinguished from house cats by the hair tuffs at the point of their ears.
This Bobcat kitten was photographed in Tucson, Arizona.
Photo courtesy of Rob Boone
