Scientific name: Puma concolor Life expectancy: 8 to 13 years Food: mammals (guanacos, …), reptiles, birds, fish, …..

The puma, also known in Brazil as suçuarana and bay lion, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Felidae and genus Puma, native to America. It was originally classified in the genus Felis, but genetic studies show that the species evolved into a lineage close to the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and the Moorish cat (Puma yagouaroundi). It is the terrestrial mammal with the greatest geographical distribution in the west, occurring from British Columbia, Canada, to the extreme south of Chile, inhabiting from dense forests, to desert areas, with tropical or subarctic climate, except the tundra. It is able to survive in areas extremely altered by man, such as pastures and agricultural crops.
It measures up to 155 cm in length, without the tail, and weighs up to 72 kg, with a similar size to that of the leopard (Panthera pardus), being the second largest felid in the Americas. It has a color ranging from gray to reddish-brown, with the tip of the tail in black, lateral areas of the snout and belly in white. The puppies are born with dark spots on the coat, which usually persist until 14 weeks of age. It has the longest hind legs among felines. They live on average between 7.5 and 9 years of age.

It is a solitary animal and more active at night. The living areas range from 50 to 1000 km², with males being territorial and having large areas overlapping that of several females. Females have several estrus in the year, have a gestation that lasts between 90 and 96 days and generally are born between 3 and 4 puppies, every 2 years, approximately.
The main causes of the cougar’s disappearance are hunting, habitat fragmentation and destruction, and being run over. #pumaconcolor #puma #felidae #animalsofbrasil #animalsofperu #animalsofargentina #animals #wildlife #wild