Puma

Puma, or COUGUAR (Felis concolor), a large Carnivore distributed in North and South America between 60° N. and 50° S. lat., but rare in those parts which have been long settled. It is sometimes called the American 'lion,' 'panther,' ('painter'), or 'catamount,' and is about the size of a leopard. The fur is thick and close, dark yellowish red above, lighter on the sides, and reddish white on the belly; the muzzle, chin, throat, breast, and insides of the legs are more or less white. But the colouring varies a little in different localities. Young pumas have dark-brown spots in three rows on the back, and scattered markings elsewhere. The long tail is covered with thick fur, and is slightly coiled. The pumas have very diverse haunts—the forest, the bush, and the grassy pampas; they have no fixed lairs, but roam about by night from place to place in search of prey. They are agile in their movements, and can leap and spring well, but swim only under compulsion. Many kinds of mammals fall victims to the pumas, and they are the more disastrous to flocks and herds because of their habit of killing many more than they devour. To the booty which they have secured but merely tasted they will afterwards return. They rarely attack man, but one puma has been known to kill fifty sheep in a night, drinking a little of the blood of each; hence their extermination in many regions. The two sexes live apart, but pair in winter and summer. Two or three young are born at once, and are left a good deal to themselves, though after the first birth the mothers are certainly affectionate. In spite of its restless and voracious instincts the puma may be readily tamed, and is said to become gentle. The skin is sometimes used, and the flesh is occasionally eaten.