Cougar, scientifically known as Puma concolor, is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas. It is an adaptable, generalist species, found in most American habitat types. It is the second-largest cat in the New World after the jaguar. Secretive and largely solitary by nature, the cougar is also known as the mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount.
Classification of the Cougar:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Puma
Species: P. concolor
The cougar's wide distribution spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America, making it the most widespread large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. It has a flexible diet that primarily includes ungulates, such as deer, and smaller animals when necessary.
Despite its size and range, it has been listed as a least concern species by the IUCN since 2008, owing to its wide distribution and large population, although it is declining in certain parts.
