Let us start with the names of the cougar. A cougar has more than one name. The cougar is also called the mountain lion, the puma and the panther. You may have heard that these are different animals. They are all names for the cougar. About 40 English names have been listed for the cougar, including puma, mountain lion and catamount.

Let us start with how big a cougar is, and how much a cougar weighs. Adult male cougars typically weigh between 115 and 220 pounds (52 to 100 kilograms). Adult female cougars weigh from about 29 to 64 kilograms (about 64 to 141 pounds). These are the weights given for grown cougars, with one range for the males and one for the females.

Now let us see how a cougar hunts. Cougars mostly eat deer. They also eat large animals such as elk. Cougars are generally solitary hunters. A cougar stalks its food quietly before it leaps. A cougar must get close to its prey before it ambushes from a short distance. Cougars have especially keen eyesight. Cougars see better than people in dim light.

Now let us see what a cougar can do with its body. A cougar can leap about 18 feet (5.5 meters) straight up. A cougar can leap about 40 feet along the ground in a single bound. Some people think a cougar can roar. It cannot. A cougar can purr but cannot roar, and it can growl and hiss.

Next, let us meet the kittens. Cougar kittens are born with spots. They have blue eyes when they are born. A newborn cougar kitten weighs about one pound. A mother cougar has one to six kittens in a litter. A mother cougar gives birth to her kittens in a den. Cougar kittens are cared for by their mother for up to two years. A cougar in a zoo can live about 20 years.

Last, let us see where cougars live and what they are called there. Cougars live from the Yukon in Canada south to the southern tip of Chile. Cougars can be found in many habitats throughout the Americas. Cougars live in many kinds of places, including deserts and forests. In Florida, cougars are called Florida panthers.

Words to know

• prey: hunted animals
• ambushes: springs out
• stalks: sneaks up
• litter: kittens born together
• catamount: a cougar
• habitats: homes in nature

The short version

The cougar is also called the mountain lion, the puma and the panther. Cougars live from the Yukon in Canada south to the southern tip of Chile, in many kinds of places. Cougars mostly eat deer. Cougar kittens are born with spots.

Quick facts

• The cougar is also called the mountain lion, the puma and the panther.
• In Florida, cougars are called Florida panthers.
• Cougars live from the Yukon in Canada south to the southern tip of Chile.
• Cougars mostly eat deer and other large animals such as elk.
• Cougar kittens are born with spots.