The Cougar

By: Garth Woolhouse
and
Morgan Reynolds


About The Cougar:


The cougar is a large cat native to Canada, U.S.A., Mexico, Central America and some parts of South America. It is the largest cat in North and South America.

The cougar ranges from 6 to 8 1/2 feet (its tail accounts for 1/3 of its total body length) and can weigh as much as 175 pounds. The cougar's fur is short and its colour ranges from grey to reddish brown. The cougar's canine teeth can get as long as 1 1/2 inches. The cougar has a small head and a short snout.

The cougar has many names such as the Cougar, Puma, Mountain Lion, Catamount and Felis concolor, which is Latin for "cat of all one colour".

Cougars rarely attack humans unless they are sick, have kittens with them, have food, or are spooked.

Kittens:

The female cougar gives birth to 3 to 4 kittens at any time of the year. When the kittens are born, they weigh only about 400 g and are about 300 mm long. The gestation for the kittens is around 90 to 96 days. Females usually reach sexual maturity in around 2 years and males mature at about 3 years.

Food:

Cougars mainly feed on deer, elk, moose and caribou, but, in the winter those animals migrate and the cougar must feed on rabbits, mice, lynx, bobcat, beaver, muskrat, duck, etc....

Habitat:

The habitat that cougars live in can range from mountains to deserts. Cougars live in the Rockies of Canada and the U.S.A., in the Andes of South America, in the desert of Mexico and in the jungles of Central and South America.

Why Are They Endangered?

Cougars are endangered because over 2,100 cougars are shot every year in the U.S.A. and Canada. For every female cougar shot, about 3 to 4 kittens die too, because they can't survive on their own.



We got our information from:


World Wildlife Fund (WWF) website. http://www.wwfcanada.org/



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