### animal | vertebrate | mammal | feline | cat:

Cougar
* Most cougars attack domestic animals
  - drag prey
  - drink water
* Most cougars eat animals
  - deer
  - herbivores
  - meat
  - exist in density
  - feed on prey
  - follow deer
  - grasp necks
* Most cougars have blue eyes
  - kittens
* Most cougars have large home ranges
  - organs
  - toes
* Most cougars inhabit areas
  - common areas
  - geographic areas
  - terrains
* Most cougars kill bighorn sheep
* Most cougars live in regions
  - over years
  - prefer to avoid human beings
* Most cougars prey on cattle
  - domestic cattle
  - pursue prey
* Most cougars reach maturity
  - sexual maturity
* Most cougars resemble cats
  - domestic cats
  - sink teeth
* Some cougars adapt to environments.
* Some cougars are killed by hunters
  - solid black
  - attack humans
  - become mothers
  - bring down deer
  - die from diseases
  - follow populations
* Some cougars have digits
  - natural enemies
  - tolerance
* Some cougars kill coyotes
  - keepers
  - wolves
  - live in areas
* Some cougars prey on deer
  - livestock
  - remain in vicinities
  - result in death
* Some cougars use heavy tails
* also find pet dogs easy prey.
* also have similar body types to house cats, only on a larger scale
  - very long tails, which make up a third to half of their total body length
  - purr when together
  - seem to share the domestic cat's attraction to catnip
  - take advantage of steep canyons and rock outcroppings to remain hidden
  - use body language to communicate
* are North America's largest unspotted cat and are second only in size to the jaguar.
* are a popular breed in the pet trade and completely over-represented
  - retreating animal and very wary of people
  - able to breed when they are two or three years old
* are also a problem in California, where two people have been killed in the past few years
  - powerful predators
* are an endangered species due to loss of habitat and over-hunting by man
  - beautiful animals
  - born with spots for better camouflage,later their fur changes to a solid color
  - carnivores because they eat only meat
  - carnivores, as are all cats
  - consumers
  - exclusively solitary with exception of brief mating periods, or when female has kittens
  - extremely elusive and usually avoid direct contact with people
  - felines
  - formidable and stealthy hunters
  - large, muscular cats
  - located in forests
  - loners-except during breeding or when mothers are accompanied by their kittens
  - magnificent animals
  - mammals and the young drink their mother's milk
  - masters at camouflage and avoid contact with humans as much as possible
* are most active at dusk and dawn
  - from dusk to dawn, although they sometimes travel and hunt during the day
  - natives of North America and are highly adaptable
  - often divorced, sometimes with cubs and financially independent
  - powerful, agile and unhesitating
  - primarily nocturnal although they can be active during the day
  - secondary consumers
  - semi-protected animals under Oregon law
  - shy, secretive cats and typically avoid contact with people
  - skilled night hunters with excellent eyesight and superb hearing
* are solitary and territorial animals by nature
  - animals and avoid contact with humans if possible
  - animals, and come together only for mating
  - hunters who face competition for their kills from other large mammals
* are solitary, nocturnal animals, coming together only to mate or when females have young
  - territorial hunters
  - still fairly abundant in some of the sparsely populated western states
  - tan to brown
  - territorial and maintain their own home ranges
  - the cats most people dispose of as pets when they reach a year
* are the largest carnivore in the north coast redwood parks
  - members of the cat family in North America
* are the largest purring cat in North America
  - most active from dusk until dawn, when they hunt for food
  - natural predators of the mule deer
  - only large cat that actually purrs
* are the second largest cat in North America
  - cats in the Americas behind the jaguar
* are very plentiful but camouflage well with the surrounding terrain
  - rare, but can be present
  - secretive animals, and sightings are a rarity
  - weapons
  - well adapted to life in uneven terrain
  - wildcats
* attack animals
* born in captivity do very well.
* can be rough on house pets, and they frequently target joggers
  - breed year-round, but breeding is more common in winter and early spring
  - live wherever their main prey, deer, are present
  - occoupy a variety of habitats from coastal swamps to mountain slopes
  - occupy a variety of habitats from coastal swamps to mountain slopes
  - see better at night than people can
* do kill mule deer
  - make a very distinguishable noise, much different from a roar
  - purr and yowl
* eat about one deer every one to two weeks
* exhibit behavior.
* generally cover their droppings with loose soil.
* have a distinct home range that they protect and mark off regularly with urine
  - keen sense of smell and can easily follow scent trails
  - thick tail with a black tip
* have an eclectic diet, generally eating what they encounter, when they encounter it
  - extensive geographic range in North America
  - classifications
  - five toes on the forepaws and four on the hind paws
* have four different names
  - toes with three distinct lobes present at the base of the pad
* have large home ranges, where they prey upon rather large animals
  - long, slender bodies and small, broad, round heads
  - low slung bodies with long necks and small heads and big, long tails
  - many inherited traits they have adapted in order to survive in their environment
  - no natural predators
  - one to five cubs at a time about two years apart
  - slender bodies, long legs, and small heads with short ears
  - some ability to self-regulate their population
  - their own territory or private hunting area, called a home range
* includes brains
  - breasts
  - cell membranes
  - cells
  - chest cavities
  - chests
  - corpi
  - cytoplasm
  - faces
  - nuclei
  - pads
  - piluses
  - plasma membranes
  - rib cages
  - sections
  - skulls
  - sterna
  - vacuoles
* instinctively attack running prey.
* kill about a deer a week
* live along the westcoast of the United States, including California and New Mexico
  - from Canada to the southern tip of Central America
  - the mountains and forests far from people
* look like cats.
* make a variety of sounds such as chirps, growls, purrs, and hisses
  - their dens in rocky ledges, dense thickets and under uprooted trees
* mark boundaries
  - territory boundaries
* mate in late winter.
* occur throughout Washington where suitable cover and prey are found.
* often remain in the area of a kill for several days
  - show curiosity toward human activities without behaving aggressively
  - sound like a woman screaming in pain
  - store uneaten food in caches, covered with dirt, to be eaten later
* play an important role in maintaining ecosystem health in Utah.
* pose threats.
* prefer regions
  - smaller prey
  - their own company except during mating season when they have cubs
* primarily prey on deer.
* range from northwestern Canada to Patagonia, South America
  - rocky mountains to scrubby deserts, wherever prey can be found
* receive sound through their ears.
* rely on short bursts of speed to ambush their prey.
* roam widely in search of prey.
* search for territory.
* stalk animals.
* stalk their prey and then ambush it by leaping from the ground or from a tree
* successfully maneuver in alpine habitats and even attack adults.
* take advantage of steep canyons and rocks for protection and food.
* tend to grow larger the further they live from the equator.
* turn up in backyards, kill house pets, and stalk people.
* typically hunt between dusk and dawn.
* usually live to be eleven years old.
* vary considerably in size and weight throughout their range.
+ Puma: Felines :: Mammals of North America
  * Cougars are carnivores because they eat only meat. They hunt deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, rabbits and skunks. They can also eat mice, beavers, coyotes, birds and porcupines. They hunt at night. Cougars can see better at night than people can. They can hear well too.
  * Cougars are carnivores because they eat only meat. They hunt deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, rabbits and skunks. They can also eat mice, beavers, coyotes, birds and porcupines. They hunt at night. Cougars can see better at night than people can. They can hear well too. Cougars stalk their prey. That is, they walk slowly and quietly, they hide and then when close, they jump or run fast to catch their prey. They live and hunt alone. Female cougars take care of their babies until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
  * They hunt deer, raccoons, squirrels, foxes, rabbits and skunks. They can also eat mice, beavers, coyotes, birds and porcupines. They hunt at night. Cougars can see better at night than people can. They can hear well too. Cougars stalk their prey. That is, they walk slowly and quietly, they hide and then when close, they jump or run fast to catch their prey. They live and hunt alone. Female cougars take care of their babies until they are old enough to fend for themselves. Baby cougars are called cubs.
  * Cougars live in the mountains and forests far from people. However, encounters with humans do happen sometimes. Cougars have been known to attack humans. 26 people have been killed by cougars in North America in the last 30 years. However, what cougars have done to people is nothing compared to what people have done to cougars. Cougars used to be found all over eastern North America.