Name: Cougar

Distribution: America and Canada

Appearance: Cougars have a round head with erect ears. They have five retractable claws on their forepaws and four on their hind. They are plain coloured, but this varies between individuals. Cougar coats are typically tawny, but it ranges to silvery-grey or reddish, with light patches on the under body. Cougar cubs are spotted and born with blue eye and ring on their tails. Juvenile Cougars still have dark spots and have pale coats.

Facts:

• The Cougar holds the Guinness record for the animal with the highest number of names. These include Puma, Mountain Lion, Mountain Cat, Catamount and Panther.
• They are the second heaviest cat in the Western Hemisphere, after the jaguar.
• Studies indicate that the Cougar and Jaguarundi are closely related to the modern Cheetah of Africa and western Asia.
• They are 32 subspecies of the Cougar, including the Argentine Puma, Costa Rican Cougar, North American Cougar and Southern South American Puma.
• The largest recorded Cougar weighed nearly 136.2kg (300 lb)
• Cougars are often silent making minimal communication through vocalizations outside of the mother-offspring relationship. They sometimes voice low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs, as well as chirps and whistles that are comparable to those of domestic cats.
• The Cougar can ran as fast as 55 to 72 km/h (35 to 45 mph). 
• A Cougar’s primary food sources include deer, elk, moose, and big horn sheep, as well as domestic cattle, horses, and sheep. They will also hunt insects and rodents.
•   Female Cougars typically average one litter every two-three years throughout their reproductive life. Litter size is between one and six cubs; typically two or three. 

• The life expectancy of a Cougar is between 8 to 13 years.
• One male North American Cougar, named Scratch, was two months short of his 30th birthday when he died in 2007. 
• The Cougar is a solitary animal with only mothers and kittens living in groups, and adults only meeting to mate.