🐆 Cougar vs Coyote 🐺
The cougar is about 4 times as long as the coyote. The cougar weighs about 5 times as much as the coyote.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐆 Cougar | 🐺 Coyote |
|---|---|---|
| Size The cougar is about 4 times as long as the coyote. | 4.9 to 8.2 ft1.5 to 2.5 m1 | 16 to 20 in41 to 51 cm2 |
| Top speed Neither has a checked number yet. | no checked number yet | no checked number yet |
| Weight The cougar weighs about 5 times as much as the coyote. | 64 to 265 lb29 to 120 kg1 | 25 to 35 lb11 to 16 kg2 |
| Lives The cougar usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. | 18 to 20 years18 to 20 years1 | 6 years6 years2 |
| Eats The cougar eats meat; the coyote eats plants and animals. | mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too | mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places | nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities |
Which one? Cougar or coyote
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the cougar or the coyote yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Cougar vs Coyote
- The cougar: A big, plain-colored cat of the Americas, also called a mountain lion.
- The coyote: A clever wild dog whose yips and howls fill the night.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are mammals.
- The cougar is about 4 times as long as the coyote: 1 against 2.
- The cougar weighs about 5 times as much as the coyote. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the coyote.
- The cougar usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 2 for the coyote.
- The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit.
- The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. They can live in the same kind of place.
- The cougar: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The coyote: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐆 Cougar
- A cougar is also called a mountain lion.
- It once lived across more of the Americas than any other land mammal.
- It eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer.
🐺 Coyote
- A coyote can hear a mouse moving under the snow.
- A few coyotes together can sound like a whole pack howling.
- Coyotes sometimes team up with badgers to hunt.
Questions kids ask about Cougar and Coyote
Which is heavier, cougar or coyote?
The cougar weighs about 5 times as much as the coyote. That is 1 for the cougar and 2 for the coyote.
Which lives longer, cougar or coyote?
The cougar usually lives about 3 times as long as the coyote. Usual lifespans: 1 for the cougar and 2 for the coyote.
What do cougar and coyote eat?
The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. The coyote eats mice, rabbits, insects, berries and fruit.
Where do cougar and coyote live?
The cougar lives in mountains, forests, grassland and deserts across the Americas, mostly in wild, quiet places. The coyote lives in nearly all of North America, from deserts and forests to big cities. They can live in the same kind of place.
Do cougars eat coyotes?
The cougar eats mostly hoofed animals such as elk and deer, and smaller animals too. Coyotes are not in that list, which comes from its page.
Who would win, cougar or coyote?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They can share the same kind of place, and real animals mostly keep out of each other's way. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/cougar-vs-coyote
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Puma concolor (cougar, mountain lion), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.