Yes, a cougar is a cat. Despite its many common names, such as mountain lion, puma, or panther, this powerful animal belongs to the Felidae family, which encompasses all cat species.
Defining the Cat Family
The Felidae family includes all species known as cats, from the smallest domestic cat to the largest wild felines. Members of this family are carnivorous mammals, a specialization supported by their sharp teeth and claws. They possess distinct carnassial teeth, which are adapted for shearing flesh efficiently, and large, sharp canine teeth designed to seize and kill prey. Most felids are digitigrade, and typically have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hind feet.
A common characteristic among felids is their retractable claws, which remain sheathed, except for some exceptions like the cheetah. Cats generally exhibit keen senses, including acute vision, particularly in low light, and highly sensitive hearing with large, rotating ears that can detect high-frequency sounds. Their bodies are lithe, flexible, and muscular.
The Cougar’s Feline Identity
The cougar, Puma concolor, is a large cat native to the Americas, belonging to the Felidae family and Felinae subfamily. It is the most widely distributed wild mammal in the Western Hemisphere, found from the Canadian Yukon to the Andes. Cougars are recognized by numerous regional names, reflecting their extensive range.
Physically, cougars possess a slender, agile body with powerful limbs, a small head, and a long tail for balance. Their fur color can vary from light brown, rust, or tawny to grayish or dark brown, often with a whitish underside, allowing for camouflage within their varied habitats. As ambush predators, cougars rely on stealth to stalk their prey, which primarily includes ungulates like deer, though they also hunt smaller mammals. They kill by delivering a powerful bite to the neck or by suffocating their prey.
Why Cougars Don’t Roar
A common point of differentiation among cat species is their vocalization, specifically the ability to roar versus purr. Cougars, despite their considerable size, cannot roar, a characteristic that often leads to confusion about their classification as “big cats.” Scientifically, the ability to roar is linked to the anatomy of the hyoid bone, a U-shaped bone in the throat that supports the larynx.
Cats capable of roaring, such as lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars (members of the Pantherinae subfamily), possess a hyoid bone that is not fully ossified but includes an elastic ligament. This flexible structure allows the larynx to be lowered, producing a roar. In contrast, cougars, along with domestic cats, bobcats, and cheetahs, belong to the Felinae subfamily, characterized by a fully ossified, rigid hyoid bone. This bony structure enables them to produce a continuous purr, often while both inhaling and exhaling, but prevents them from roaring. Thus, while physically large, cougars are classified as “small cats” based on this anatomical and vocal distinction.