dana - Western Cougar

Dana is a female Western Cougar (Puma concolor), born in late October, 2015. She came to the Foundation as a gift to be an ambassador to her species.

Cougars are known by many names, including puma, panther, or mountain lion. The cougar has a small, broad head with small rounded ears, a powerful body with long hind legs and black-tipped tail. They use their coats as camouflage to keep them hidden from predators, and their color and size reflect the area they live in. Redder coat colors are common among darker soils such as mountainous areas, whereas the more beige coat colors are common with cougars from desert areas. The cougar hunts alone, and will hide its food in dense undergrowth and return to it over several days. The cougars prey consists of large animals such as deer, and smaller mammals including mice, squirrels, porcupines, raccoons, rabbits, and beavers. Cougars are big enough to tackle larger prey such as domestic cattle and horses, for which they have earned a bad reputation with livestock farmers. The cougar uses the strength of its powerful hind legs to lunge at its prey with single running jumps that can reach in excess of 40 feet.

Cougars come from all parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and live in all types of habitats. In general the size and coloration of the cat varies greatly across its range, which stretches from south west Canada down the western states of North America and throughout most western parts of South America. Aside from humans, the cougar has the largest range of any mammal in the western hemisphere.

Cougar Statistics: