COUGARS

The cougar’s color ranges from dark brown to tawny gray to reddish tawny. They have black face markings, a black tip on the tail and black on the back of the ears. Kits are spotted when born but by the time they are a year old, the spots have vanished.

A cougar’s neck and forelegs are strong, enabling it to pull down prey easily. It has long fangs and muscular jaws designed to hold large prey such as deer, moose and elk. Special teeth allow cutting of sinew, meat and tendons.

Cougars have five toes on the forepaws and four on the hind paws. Each toe has a claw, similar to that of housecats. These are sheathed when the animal walks but can be quickly extended when running down prey.

Canada’s cougar population is made up of adults, kittens and transients – young cougars that have not established a territory or begun to breed. The population density is between 0.3 to 9.2 per 100 kilometers. This depends on hunting sites, food sources and social structure. Healthy cougar population is an indication of a balanced ecosystem.

The territory of a male cougar never overlaps that of other males but does overlap the ranges of several females of breeding age. A female’s range often overlaps the territory of other females.

When territory overlaps, the cougar avoids others of its kind. Both males and females are solitary travelers except when females have young to care for or when breeding is taking place. Male cougars breed with several females and will travel for miles to females that are in heat. The male then marks his territory with scent posts and will defend it if necessary but usually the cougar maintains a peaceful social life, which helps it stabilize populations.

Cougar populations are found in the mountains, interior and forested foothills of western Canada. These animals prefer to roam areas where they cannot be seen. They pray on moose, deer and elk when available but eat numerous bird and animal species. When larger animals are not available, they prey on squirrels, beaver, rabbits and porcupine. They are not scavengers and gorge only on fresh kill. The only time exception is if they are near starvation.

Cougars are masters at camouflage and avoid contact with humans as much as possible. If approached they usually stay hidden and will flee. As with all animals, they will attack if cornered or

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