They range from five to nine feet long. This includes the tail, which is generally one third or more of the lion's length. Weight can be as little as 60 pounds for some females to considerably more than 200 pounds for a very large male.
Cougars have slender bodies, long legs, and small heads with short ears.
Their hind legs are longer then their front legs. The cougar's pelage is unspotted, varying from ruddy brown to gray brown to almost silver. The throat, belly, and insides of the legs are whitish, the backs of the ears and the tail tip are black, and there is a black spot at the base of the whiskers on each side of the muzzle. Kittens have ringed tails and spotted coats for the first several months. Felids can purr, but not roar, a characteristic dictated by the structural anatomy of the throat.