Mountain lion is a large and predatory cat. Reproduction, nutrition and photo of the animal

Mountain lion is found in South and Central America, the USA, Alaska and Central Canada. The predator of this is called a cougar, or cougar. Beautiful and graceful beast by nature - a great individualist.

External difference

Mountain lion (or puma) lives only on the American continent. This is a very large animal, the length of the male reaches two meters forty centimeters. The female is slightly smaller, it does not happen more than two meters. This wild cat is only slightly inferior to a jaguar in size.

A mountain lion of a stronger sex can weigh from sixty to a hundred kilograms. Female - from thirty to sixty-five. Females are weaker than males, but they are more elegant. Among the large predatory cats, the mountain lion is on the fifth place: on the first - the tiger, on the second - the African lion, on the third - the Asian lion, on the fourth - the jaguar. Puma has strong and massive hind legs, a round head and protruding ears.

This is a big enough cat. A mountain lion weighing one hundred and twenty-five kg was killed in Arizona. The color of the cougar can have a different shade and color. Adult animals are red, silvery, dark yellow. The wool, which is located in the lower part of the body, is slightly lighter than in the upper part.

When a baby is born a wild cat, it is all covered with dark spots, and the tail is in strips. Over time, the coat will become one-color. Puma - an excellent jumper, the height of the jump can reach about six meters, but its length - sometimes twelve meters.

Abilities and life of the mountain lion

As mentioned above, the paw's hind legs are very powerful. Running speed is up to 70 km per hour. The American mountain lion climbs beautifully along the branches of trees. The structure of the body contributes to a short and swift run, long distance puma can not overcome. This predatory animal is an excellent hunter and can exist both on level ground and in mountains.

The mountain lion is an individualist by nature, prefers to live alone. Couples Cougar (also called a cat) are grouped only in order to reproduce. This is a very short time (about ten days). In ordinary life, the female and male have their own separate territory, where they hunt. The female puma has about 25 square meters, male cat has up to 50 square meters. Cougars mark their territory with feces and urine. The puma does not invade other people's possessions, otherwise the conflict can not be avoided.

Reproduction of a mountain lion

When the female reaches the age of three, it becomes sexually mature. The period of the puma's pregnancy lasts three months. During this time, the cat prepares a place where it will give birth to its young. The female arranges a lair in a stone niche (or cave). On average, the puma gives birth to two or three toddlers, but sometimes it can be one cub or six. Cougar feeds her newborn for three months with milk. After the mother takes the children to the hunt and teaches everything that she can do herself. At the age of six months, the kids try to catch their first small prey.

Up to two years of young wild cats live with their mother. After leaving their native family and beginning to live alone. Females stay longer near the mother than males. Young animals often die in the wild, because young pumas are very hot-tempered and constantly in conflict with their congeners. As a rule, only one cub survives from one brood.

Power mountain lion

Favorite pet dainty are mice and frogs, rabbits and birds, reptiles and grasshoppers. They also hunt small and medium ungulates. People living in agricultural areas, cougars called "a harmful creature." Puma often attacks sheep. On hunting, a predatory cat swiftly jumps on prey and sticks its teeth into the victim's scruff. Sometimes a maneuver fails, then the mountain lion does not try to catch up with the animal, as long as a puma can not run. It is easier for her to choose a new victim. When the hunt is successful, the remains of the carcass cougar bury in branches or snow. The next day, the puma will return for his food. Mountain lion lives more than twenty years.