The puma is the big cat of the Americans. This animal is distributed throughout the American continent. Pumas can adapt to a wide variety of climates and habitats. In fact, there are more than 80 names for the puma. The most importants are bobcats, lynxes, jaguars, cheetahs or leopards. They stand out for their agility. Typically, adult pumas grow up to six to eight feet (1.80 to 2.40 meters) long and females grow up to five feet (1.5 to 2.1 meters) on average. Males typically weigh between 110 to 180 pounds (50 to 82 kilograms) and the female from 80 to 130 pounds (36 to 59 kilograms). A puma's tail is almost as long as its head and body combined.
DIET
Their diet mainly includes animals such as deer, horses, elk, cattle and sheep. Pumas eat any animal that they can hunt, even animals as big as an elk. Their diet also includes big insects and small rodent. Pumas will stalk their prey through bushes and trees and even across rock ledges before powerfully leaping onto the back of their victim and delivering a suffocating neck bite.
HABITAT
Pumas can live in a very large variety of habitats. They prefer habitats with dense scrub and rocky spaces for the hunting, but they also live in plain fields, forests and jungles and deserts. Pumas’ color adapts easily to a wide variety of habitats, but they prefer those with dense vegetation, caves and rocks that serve as a refuge.
REPRODUCTION
Female pumas reach sexual maturity when they are between 1 and 3 years old. After a gestation period of 91 days, a litter of between 1 and 6 cubs are born. The new born can weigh between 226 to 453 grams. One litter of cubs is born every 2 or 3 years. Moreover, cubs are weaned around 3 months after birth and as they develop, they go hunting with their mother. When they are 6 months old, cubs hunt for small prey on their own. Cubs will leave their mother to establish their own territory when they are around 2 years old.
ALEJANDRO GUISADO AND AMINA FATIHI
THE PUMA
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