The mating period of cougars living in the north is in winter, in animals of tropical latitudes there is no clearly expressed period of mating. At this time, usually silent cougars announce the neighborhood with loud screams. Pregnancy in females lasts 3 months, after which 2-4 kittens appear in the light. A lair for babies is placed by a female in a cave or under a windbreak.
It is interesting that kittens in single-color coulombs are born spotty, like a leopard. Only to one-year age their color becomes as in adults. Toddlers grow fast and already from 1.5 months they try to eat meat. Young growth remains with the female up to 1.5-2 years. The full maturity of the cougar reach to 2-3 years, and live 15-20 years.
The largest cat in America has no natural enemies, but in some parts of the range cougars are highly competitive with wolves, jaguars and bears. Young animals, imprudently entered into a fight, often die. Cougar prefers solitude and avoids crowded places. For this reason, the damage caused by pumas to farmers is small. However, many cases of attacks on people are known. Usually such situations arise when people invade the territory of a cougar (but not vice versa), and are provoked by careless behavior of people.
Cougar has no commercial significance, but some of its subspecies are on the verge of extinction due to disturbance of natural habitats. For example, the population of the Florida puma has reached a critical level of 20-50 individuals and is not capable of natural recovery.
