Friday, January 9, 2009

What is a Mountain Lion?


It occurred to me that I should explain some of the basics of what a cougar is and about the possibility of their existence in the east.

So, what is a cougar?

- Well, a cougar defined by the Eastern Cougar Foundation is; large, tawny, long-tailed cat native to the new world. They have been called a range of names from Cougar, Mountain lion, Puma, Panther, Painter, to Catamount. (Although I use Cougar when talking about them).

What color are they?

-Cougars are mainly a light brown color; or called tawny. They can have a range of dark brown to grey during the winter months as they grow a longer coat.

What kind of habitat do they live in?

- I am amazed at the range of habitat they can and do live in. They can live in desert environments, rainforests, steppes, coastal swamps, mountains, and forests.

What is an Eastern Cougar?

-By my definition, it is any mountain lion (felis concolor), that inhabits the wild of the Eastern United States, whether it is part of the eastern subspecies, or has migrated eastwards.

* ask any questions and I will try to answer them!

Easterncougar.org is the reference sight for Eastern Cougar Foundation