Question: is a puma and a panther the same thing

Answer: Yes, With its vast range across the length of the Americas, P. concolor has dozens of names and various references in the mythology of the indigenous Americans and in contemporary culture. Currently, it is referred to as ``puma'' by most scientists and by the populations in 21 of the 23 countries in the Americas. ``Puma'' is the common name in Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries but the cat has many local or regional names in the United States and Canada, of which cougar, puma, mountain lion, and panther are popular. ``Mountain lion'' was a term first used in writing in 1858 from the diary of George Andrew Jackson of Colorado. Other names include catamount (probably a contraction from ``cat of the mountain''), mountain screamer, and painter. Lexicographers regard painter as a primarily upper-Southern US regional variant on panther.