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Animal profile

Puma

Puma concolor

MammaliaForest, mountain, desert, grassland and swamp, from sea level to high alpineLeast Concern

Field profile

The puma, also called cougar, mountain lion and panther, has the greatest latitudinal range of any wild land mammal in the Americas. It is a solitary stalk-and-ambush hunter of deer and smaller prey. Despite its size it is not a member of the roaring cats and is more closely related to the cheetah and jaguarundi than to leopards.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-08-30

Puma

The puma purrs and cannot roar

Despite weighing as much as a leopard, the puma belongs to the purring cats. It has a fully ossified hyoid and lacks the specialised vocal folds of Panthera, so its loudest calls are screams and whistles rather than roars.

Read with evidence →

Puma | Daily Animal Facts