A puma is a large cat species belonging to the family Felidae, the same biological family as domestic cats, lions, tigers, and jaguars. Its classification clarifies why it is considered a cat, despite its size and various common names.
The Puma’s Place in the Cat Family
The puma (Puma concolor) is a member of the Felidae family. Within this family, pumas are placed in the subfamily Felinae, often referred to as the “small cat” subfamily, distinguishing them from the “big cat” subfamily Pantherinae (which includes lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards). This distinction is primarily due to their vocalization capabilities.
Unlike the true big cats in the Panthera genus, pumas possess a fully ossified hyoid bone in their throat, which allows them to purr continuously. Cats in the Panthera genus have a partially ossified hyoid bone, enabling them to roar but limiting their ability to purr continuously. This vocal anatomy, despite the puma’s substantial size, aligns it more closely with smaller feline species.
The Puma genus includes Puma concolor, which has evolutionary ties to other large felines like the cheetah and jaguarundi.
Distinctive Features of the Puma
The puma is characterized by its large, slender body, which can reach lengths of about 1.2 meters (4 feet) excluding its long tail, and males can weigh around 62 kg (136 pounds) on average in North America. Its fur is typically a plain, tawny brown, which varies geographically and seasonally from gray to reddish-brown, giving rise to its species name concolor, meaning “of one color.” The puma’s powerful hind legs are longer and more muscular than its forelegs, allowing for impressive leaping abilities, with jumps of up to 5 meters (18 feet) vertically and 12-14 meters (40-45 feet) horizontally.
Pumas cannot roar like a lion or tiger. Instead, they produce a range of sounds including growls, hisses, chirps, whistles, and purrs, similar to domestic cats.
Pumas are generally solitary animals, deliberately avoiding others except during courtship. They are highly adaptable predators, capable of thriving in diverse environments and hunting a variety of prey.
Common Names and Geographic Distribution
The puma is known by many common names, reflecting its vast geographic range and the cultures that have encountered it. These names include cougar, mountain lion, and, in some regions, panther.
While “panther” can refer to melanistic leopards or jaguars elsewhere, in the eastern United States, it often refers to the puma. All these names denote the same species, Puma concolor.
Pumas have the widest distribution of any native terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere, spanning from southeastern Alaska down to southern Argentina and Chile. This extensive range means pumas inhabit a variety of ecosystems, including desert scrub, chaparral, swamps, forests, and mountainous regions. They tend to avoid agricultural areas or flatlands that lack sufficient cover.