Cougars are reclaiming their eastern territory, could Alabama be next? If you have seen this cat, let us know.
Image by WL Miller-NPS Photo
Also known as, Mountain lion, Puma, Panther, Fla Panther, painter, and a host of other names that the Native Americans used, as well as several scientific names such as Puma concolor couguar and Puma concolor coryi (Fla panther) which we would deal with here in the state of Alabama.
Cougars require alot of territory, males sometimes cover as much as 80 to 200 square miles and females 50 to 80 square miles. Of course this depends upon what type of habitat that they have. Amount of food, cover and security would probably determine the size of the area. Cougars at one time inhabited all of what is now the United States, South America, and North American with the exception of tundra areas in the far north. We have a fragmented habitat here in Alabama, but there is still a lot of room for Cougars.
Cougar males will often overlap territory as much as 20 to 40 percent. However, they tend to avoid each other. If they do contact each other, they will often fight to the death. Most of the time one of them will be ten miles from there the next day. Females will overlap territory also and a single male's territory can possibly overlap more than one female's territory. Cougars mate when the female is around two years old and only every other year. Cougars come into estrus for 4 to 5 days every 21 days. Adult males and females only associate during this period. Males will sometimes mate as young as 1.5 years old but usually around 3 years of age. Mating can happen anytime of the year. However, mating usually occurs during the fall or winter and after a gestation period of 80 t0 96 days with an average of 91 days cubs are born. Average litter size is three but all don't survive. By this time the adult male is long gone. Males and females only stay together while mating which can take place several times over a period of several days. Cubs are born spotted with blue eyes which change as they grow older. Cubs remain in the nest until they are a couple of months old. Then the Female begins to take them out of the nest to her kills. The cubs begin joining the hunt at around 6 months old and stay with the mother for 18 to 20months, usually until they begin searching for their own mates or the mother begins to come in season again. It is not unusual for a female cub to remain with the mother after she has had another set of cubs. However, male cubs leave earlier because older males will often try to kill them if they remain nearby. Puma populations can grow very quickly under ideal conditions at the rate of 25% per year.
The Cougar is a true carnivor, they eat only meat. Deer is the biggest and the most popular item on its menu, which is about 90% of its diet. However, the cougar is an opportunist and will eat anything they can catch, such as racoons, opossum, any small game, house cats, dogs or coyotes and farm animals, and will attack a human being. There have been only twenty fatalities from cougars in the last 100 years. However, there are more than twenty people killed a year by dogs. So the chance of a cougar attack is very rare. You actually have a better chance of being struck by lightning.
Cougars are reclaiming their territory and have been confirmed in many eastern states. Now is the time to learn about them and learn to live with this wonderful animal. There are many pet owners that have Cougars. Sometimes these people buy a cougar kitten and in a few months realize that they have a wild animal that they cannot handle, and there are cases of cougars being released. The State of Alabama Dept of Conservation no longer gives permits for captive cougars. However there are some still in captivity in the state. Science has come a long way. Now we an trace the DNA of a cougar and determine where it came from, a pet Cougar usually has South American DNA. A Cougar that has lost its fear of humans is the most dangerous kind. Please do not release a pet into the wild. There are many places that will take him and give him or her a good home.
Cougars require alot of territory, males sometimes cover as much as 80 to 200 square miles and females 50 to 80 square miles. Of course this depends upon what type of habitat that they have. Amount of food, cover and security would probably determine the size of the area. Cougars at one time inhabited all of what is now the United States, South America, and North American with the exception of tundra areas in the far north. We have a fragmented habitat here in Alabama, but there is still a lot of room for Cougars.
Cougar males will often overlap territory as much as 20 to 40 percent. However, they tend to avoid each other. If they do contact each other, they will often fight to the death. Most of the time one of them will be ten miles from there the next day. Females will overlap territory also and a single male's territory can possibly overlap more than one female's territory. Cougars mate when the female is around two years old and only every other year. Cougars come into estrus for 4 to 5 days every 21 days. Adult males and females only associate during this period. Males will sometimes mate as young as 1.5 years old but usually around 3 years of age. Mating can happen anytime of the year. However, mating usually occurs during the fall or winter and after a gestation period of 80 t0 96 days with an average of 91 days cubs are born. Average litter size is three but all don't survive. By this time the adult male is long gone. Males and females only stay together while mating which can take place several times over a period of several days. Cubs are born spotted with blue eyes which change as they grow older. Cubs remain in the nest until they are a couple of months old. Then the Female begins to take them out of the nest to her kills. The cubs begin joining the hunt at around 6 months old and stay with the mother for 18 to 20months, usually until they begin searching for their own mates or the mother begins to come in season again. It is not unusual for a female cub to remain with the mother after she has had another set of cubs. However, male cubs leave earlier because older males will often try to kill them if they remain nearby. Puma populations can grow very quickly under ideal conditions at the rate of 25% per year.
The Cougar is a true carnivor, they eat only meat. Deer is the biggest and the most popular item on its menu, which is about 90% of its diet. However, the cougar is an opportunist and will eat anything they can catch, such as racoons, opossum, any small game, house cats, dogs or coyotes and farm animals, and will attack a human being. There have been only twenty fatalities from cougars in the last 100 years. However, there are more than twenty people killed a year by dogs. So the chance of a cougar attack is very rare. You actually have a better chance of being struck by lightning.
Cougars are reclaiming their territory and have been confirmed in many eastern states. Now is the time to learn about them and learn to live with this wonderful animal. There are many pet owners that have Cougars. Sometimes these people buy a cougar kitten and in a few months realize that they have a wild animal that they cannot handle, and there are cases of cougars being released. The State of Alabama Dept of Conservation no longer gives permits for captive cougars. However there are some still in captivity in the state. Science has come a long way. Now we an trace the DNA of a cougar and determine where it came from, a pet Cougar usually has South American DNA. A Cougar that has lost its fear of humans is the most dangerous kind. Please do not release a pet into the wild. There are many places that will take him and give him or her a good home.
Black Panther
Although there are many reports of black panthers in Alabama, we have never had a "native" Black Panther population in America or the State of Alabama. There has never been any empirical evidence of a black Cougar. Black phases occur in Jaguars and Leopards both african and asian types, and if they are here, someone has released them. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there aren't any out there, because there is a good possibility that there are! All these reports can't be overlooked. Many are made by very intelligent people that know what they are seeing. All I'm saying is they aren't here naturally, someone had to bring them here. Always report your evidence to your local conservation officer and then to us!
Bobcat
Bob cats are sometime mistaken for a cougar. Remember size, spots, short tail, and sharp ears. A bobcat weighs around 20 to 25 pounds, rarely there will be one that is a little larger. A cougar weighs 100 to 200 pounds. Females from 80 to 110 and males will reach 200 pounds or larger. A cougar will lose its spots when its around a year old. A bobcat will keep its spots for life. Just remember size! short tail, spots and sharp ears.
Coyotes
Coyotes are another animal that is often mistaken for cougars. Usually when one is seen, its crossing the road at lighting speed. Coloring is close but not quite. Look at the sharp ears and long fur. A coyotes tail is not as long as a cougars' and has much more fur on it. Size is another thing to look at. Coyotes will weigh up to 45 pounds. That is still alot smaller than a cougar. Sharp ears and long muzzel is a good way to tell. And if you are looking at tracks, remember the X factor on all canine tracks. Remember to check out Kim Cabrera's site www.bear-tracker.com. This is one of the best sites for learning to identify tracks.
