Cougar

There are only three wild felid (cat family) species in Canada. The cougar is the largest of the three, the other two are bobcat and lynx. Cougar is the second largest cat species in the Americas, with the jaguar being the largest.
Previously the cougar was divided into four subspeices, but new taxonomic research now classifies all cougar as the same species with some genetic and morphological differences depending on location.
The Canadian cougar has been known by many names. Maliseet First Nation in New Brunswick use the name “pi-twal” or “long-tailed one”. Early English settlers called it a panther, thinking it was the same animal that they had seen or read about from Asia. French explorers originally called it the “carcajou”, but this name is now used for wolverines. Cougar is now the most common name in Canada, derived from the native Brazilian name “cuguacuaran”. Mountain lion is the US name and puma is from Peru. Painter, long-tailed tawny cat and catamount are other names for the cougar.

Cougars are silent and stealthy during hunting, but become very vocal during the breeding season. When in heat, females yowl loudly.
A tom cougar's territory overlaps with multiple females allowing him to mate with as many females as possible. A tom cougar will attempt to keep exclusive breeding rights to all the females in his territory, meaning territorial fights with other toms are intense and often result in the death of one of the toms. He will roam multiple miles a day to find a receptive female. Females can breed at any time of year.
Females are able to breed when they're two to three years old. Pregnancy lasts 90 days after which the female gives birth to between one and three kittens. She may have as many as six kittens, but usually only three will survive to maturity. Kittens are born in a sheltered, secure place like a cave, they are blind at first but their eyes open after two weeks. Kittens are weaned at five weeks but stay with their mother until they are 18 – 24 months old. During this time they learn how to hunt independently. A female cougar won't let toms approach while she has dependent kittens as he may kill them, not recognizing them as his own offspring. When new tom cougars move into the territory of a previous resident tom, they will often attempt to kill all the kittens because they are not his young. Once the kittens are dead, the female will come back into heat and the male has a chance to mate with her. Kittens have a high mortality rate in their first year of life and after they leave their mother from starvation, being unable to defend themselves or from attack from an adult tom cougar. Once the kittens leave, the female comes back into heat and breeds again.

A cougar's diet includes mule and white-tailed deer, elk, moose and Bighorn sheep. They are opportunistic so will eat many of the species available to them however, they can also become specialized on a certain species. In our guide territory, this is often the case with mule deer, mountain goats, California Bighorn sheep and Canada moose, this means that good predator management can significantly impact ungulate populations. For male cougars, 85% of their prey can be moose calves, and females can eat 79% deer and elk, showing there are also species specialization differences between males and females. The successful cougar in a territorial battle may also eat a cougar that was killed in this battle. Cougars can also scavenge for food and when their preferred food is unavailable will eat other animals such as coyotes, grasshoppers and porcupines.
Vision and hearing are the cougar's two most important senses when it comes to hunting. This allows them to locate and stalk their prey, then launch themselves onto the animal, biting the throat. Larger animals such as moose will usually die from suffocation, but with smaller animals it is more likely a broken neck. A cougar usually needs to kill one animal a week, depending on the size of prey. Although hunting larger prey would keep a cougar fed for longer, it is not without risk and cougars can die from serious injuries caused by attacking a moose or other large animal.
On successfully killing an animal, the cougar will take it to a secluded spot to eat, starting with the organs. The cougar will cover the rest of the food and return to eat this animal over several days and up to a week, depending on the size of the kill.
Prior to European settlement in Canada, the cougar's range was essentially the same as that of deer, its preferred prey. The cougar was previously found in many of today's provinces, but now it's range is largely restricted to western Canada. However, it is still the terrestrial mammal with the most extensive range in the western hemisphere as its territory extends from the Yukon border south to Patagonia. Despite their secretive nature that makes them hard to count, they are common in this range. Anecdotal evidence also suggests the cougar is reestablishing itself across some of its former range including New England, Louisiana and Arkansas. There is a population in Florida, known as the Florida panther, which is endangered with estimates of only 50 cats remaining. This cat is highly adaptable, living at elevations anywhere from sea level to 15,000 feet, in rainforests, deserts, boreal forests, mountains and plateaus. To ensure greater success when hunting prey, they prefer good coverage which also helps when choosing a den site.
A cougar's territory or home range provides food, water and shelter as well as access to mates. Cougars will defend their territory against other cougars of the same sex, and mark their territory with scratches on trees, piles of leaves, urine and feces. These markings, made by tom cougars, can attract females in heat.
Male cougars' territory varies in size but is usually about 115-175 miles2 with a female's being about half this size. Although male and female territories overlap, they will only come together to mate. Females live a less solitary life than toms as they will care for their kittens until they are two years old, then produce their next litter. The size of a female's territory is affected by how many kittens she has, as more kittens require more food. If a prey species, such as mule deer, is migratory, cougars can have multiple territories.
Cougar populations have transient cats, usually young toms that have not yet established their own territories. After leaving their mothers, young males will disperse further than young females. Males can travel up to 600 miles to establish their own territory.