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| South American cougar | |
|---|---|
_at_the_Rio_Doce_state_park_001.png) | |
| Cougar at Rio Doce State Park,Brazil | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Puma |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | P. c. concolor |
| Trinomial name | |
| Puma concolor concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
TheSouth American cougar (Puma concolor concolor), also known as theAndean mountain lion[3] orpuma,[4] is acougarsubspecies occurring in northern and westernSouth America, fromColombia andVenezuela toPeru,Bolivia,Argentina andChile.[5] It is thenominate subspecies.
Felis concolor was proposed byCarl Linnaeus in 1771 for the cougartype specimen, which originated inFrench Guiana.[6]Since then, several cougar specimens from South America were described:[5]
As of 2017, these specimens are considered synonyms ofP. c. concolor, the cougarsubspecies occurring in South America.[5]
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The South American puma is a largely solitary and secretive cat. A single puma’s home range may span hundreds of square kilometres which the cat patrols, traversing significant distances daily. A large range potentially means morecached or hoarded kills (stored prey carcasses) for later consumption, as well as different nests, dens or bedding sites; vast territories enable the cats toscent-mark their territory and decipher thepheromones of other pumas, and animals, that have passed through.
Other than mothers with their young (or adolescent siblings newly on their own) and male-female encounters during the mating season, the South American puma is seldom seen in pairs or groups. Mothers care for and wean their cubs for up to a year before she abandons them or chases them off, in time for the next potentialreproductive cycle. Large, dominant male pumas may threaten or kill young cubs if they are deemed potential competition for resources or future bloodlines.
Depending on its location, the cougar hunts a variety of species; in the northern, more tropical regions, prey consists of many species ofbirds,primates,opossums androdents (includingagouti,capybara,paca,rats, as well asbrocket deer,white-tailed deer,white-lipped andcollared peccary,South American tapir,sloths,frogs,lizards andsnakes. In the western and northwestern regions of South America, cougar sometimes prey onspectacled bear cubs.[10] Further south, the cats prey onguanaco,vicuña,pudu,South Andean deer andpampas deer,Patagonian mara,viscacha,rhea,Andean mountain cat andSouth American fox, as well as livestock such assheep,goats,poultry,cattle,llama andalpaca.[11] Certain populations may also hunt and prey on non-native, introduced species, such asred deer in Argentina,blackbuck, orNorth American beaver. InSan Guillermo National Park, the vicuña is the cougar's main prey species, and constitutes about 80% of its diet.[12] However, they will abandon kills if not cached quickly, as they will often be harassed by birds of prey, such asAndean condors; the presence of large raptors and other scavenging birds causes South American cougars to kill and store 50% more prey thanNorth American cougars.[13]
Like the jaguar,[3] the cougar holds historical cultural significance amongst many South Americanindigenous people.[14] People in theAndes regard the puma as being either a snatcher of souls, or as a helper of people.[3] The cougar's name was used forIncan regions and people. TheChankas, who were enemies of the Incas, had the cougar as their deity.[15]
