Cougar - Sierra Club BC
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Cougar

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Cougar

Puma concolor

Appearance

The average male cougar weighs 60 kilograms and the female weighs 45 kilograms. They can grow to be almost three metres long (including a 75-centimetre tail). Their fur colour is from red-brown to grey-brown with light under parts. 

Range & Habitat

Found from northern B.C. to southern Argentina, cougars maintain a home territory of 15 square kilometres on average. They mark it by “scratch piles” and urination. They prefer habitats that are partially open and rocky but will follow food anywhere. In B.C., this animal is found primarily in the Georgia Depression, Southern Interior, Southern Interior Mountains and Coast Mountains ecoprovinces. 

Reciprocal Relationships

Cougars are a keystone species which means they are vital in maintaining ecosystem balance. Through the predation of small mammals, elk and moose, cougars allow periods of vegetation regrowth to ensure food chain stability. The mule deer is a main food source for cougars and an adult cougar can survive off of 14 to 20 deer per year. Predation by cougars is also important to remove animals which may spread disease.  

These beings also have unique communication gifts. Cougars make many sounds from whistles and chuckles to a long-drawn-out scream in order to communicate different messages across distances.  

Females give birth to one to four kittens in a rocky crevice or den protected by roots or fallen trees. Cubs stay with their mother for about 15 months, and life expectancy is about 10 to 12 years in the wild. The main threat to cougars is sport hunting and habitat loss from urban sprawl and logging. 

Since cougars have such large ranges, their home territory often overlaps with human homes. Due to this, many scientists and foresters have been working to limit human-wildlife interactions. Should a cougar wander into someone's backyard they could be hunted, and this would have rippling effects on the surrounding ecosystem. 

Status

COSEWIC: Data Deficient  
CDC: Yellow  

Photo Credit

Canva

More Information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca

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