In the cat family, the puma is considered one of the representatives of the most graceful, strong, beautiful animals, first described in the middle of the 16th century. Another name for this big cat is a cougar, or a mountain lion. A large mammal, smaller in size than the rival Jaguar, reaches a length of approximately 120-170 cm, and with a tail – up to 2.5 m. The height of the body of an adult cat-puma from 60 to 75 cm, weight is 75-100 kg . Males are larger than females on average by 30%.
A reddish fur on the neck and chest of a light shade, on the head is grayish in color, and on the ears and tail brush – dense dark tones, almost black. In general, the lower part of the body is much lighter than the upper. Predators living in North America, differ silvery overflows, and representatives of southern pampas, tropics are closer to red tones. These are the only American cats with a monophonic coat color. Animal fur is short, coarse and dense.
An animal puma has strong teeth, which determine the age of the predator. Fangs serve to capture prey, and incisors easily tear out tissue and break bones. Balancing with movement and during jumping on the hunt American cat helps a strong muscular tail. A flexible elongated body is distinguished by a special grace. Head small, ears small, round in shape. Feet low, wide. The hind legs are stronger and more massive than the forelegs. The number of fingers on the paws is different: on the back – four, and the front – five.
The habitat of the carnivorous carnivore are various landscapes: as plains with tropical forests, pampas, marshy lowlands, and mountain coniferous massifs on the territory of South and North America to the middle of Canada. Northern litters avoid silvery lions.
The habitat of animals is extensive, but at the beginning of the last century the pumas in the United States were almost exterminated. Rare animal cougar even began to tame. Over the years, it was possible to restore the population, in number and distribution comparable to leopards, lynxes. It is noticed that the puma lives mainly where the main objects of its hunting live – deer. Even the color of the wool at them is similar.
According to the old classification, up to 30 puma subspecies were isolated. Now, based on the data of genetics, there are 6 main varieties of cougars. A rare subspecies is the Florida puma, named for its habitat in southern Florida. During the crisis period there were only 20 individuals.
