Biologists estimate there are about 20,000 cougars in North America. Cougars once lived all over the mainland United States. But people changed wilderness into towns and ranches. The cougars' habitat shrank rapidly. Settlers shot and killed cougars until they were almost all were gone.
Cougars have their own territory or private hunting area, called a home range.
A cougar's home range may cover more than 300 square miles. These boundaries help prevent contact with other adult cougars. A cougar marks his territory by leaving scratch marks on tress, and also leaves droppings and urine as markers. These signposts tell other cougars that this area is already taken. The cougar is a predator or hunter.