The cougar's color ranges from dark brown to tawny gray to reddish tawny. They have black face markings, a black tip on the tail and black on the back of the ears. Kits are spotted when born but by the time they are a year old, the spots have vanished. A cougar's neck and forelegs are strong, enabling it to pull down prey easily. It has long fangs and muscular jaws designed to hold large prey such as deer, moose and elk.
Special teeth allow cutting of sinew, meat and tendons.
Cougars have five toes on the forepaws and four on the hind paws. Each toe has a claw, similar to that of housecats. These are sheathed when the animal walks but can be quickly extended when running down prey. The population density is between 0.3 to 9.2 per 100 kilometers. This depends on hunting sites, food sources and social structure.