The fresh cougar (Puma concolor), also known as hill lion, panther, artist, puma, and you can catamount, ‘s the biggest feline animal inside The united states.
The same as Tennessee’s insane elk and you will buffalo, the new cougar is extirpated on condition in the early 1900s on account of overhunting and you may habitat loss. But not, the fresh new cougar is generally coming back to help you Tennessee. There have been specific affirmed sightings into the Tennessee.
The cougar is one of the loved ones Felidae (pet family) which is regarding the acquisition Carnivora. Which effective predator selections regarding 5 to 8 ? ft overall size and weighs off 70 to 250 pounds, which have males being larger than women.
Adults try large sleek kittens with quick brains. The ears was black colored towards top top and generally are short and you will game no tufts out of tresses. The new muzzle are light with the prevent and you can black in which they matches your head.
Cougars have a long hefty cylindrical end starting in total out of 20 so you can 30 in, towards last few ins blackish during the color. Claws is collapsible and are most seldom element of a track.
Cougar fur may be a powerful bronze color on the higher pieces that have white undersides. Moderate distinctions tends to make the new good brown cat features a red-colored, yellowish, or grayish tinge.
Zero black color stage (called melanistic) out of a good cougar has actually ever started recorded. There can be, yet not, records off melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) one to live in Mexico and southern to northern Argentina, and melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) inside Africa.
The brand new bobcat ‘s the merely other creature of the cat (Felidae) household members that’s available for the Tennessee. Bobcats vary from cougars in their size, color, and you can tail length. He or she is much smaller compared to cougars, varying into the lbs out-of 10 in order to 40 lbs, whereas a beneficial cougar begins on 70 lbs. The coat is not uniform into the color including the cougar’s but was marked that have black locations and you may lines. They also have directed ears which have locks tufts, in lieu of the brand new cougar. New bobcat’s tail looks “bobbed”, and this new animal’s identity, that is typically step 3 to 8 ins in length, that’s very short in comparison with the latest end away from a good cougar.
Diversity
The brand new cougar uses up one particular extensive variety of one New world terrestrial mammal, from the Canadian Yukon towards the southern area suggestion out of South america.
In america, cougars live in the new west area and you can extend eastward so far as the fresh western side of the brand new Dakotas, Nebraska, and you can near the east borders of Colorado and you can Tx.
A study typed on the Record away from Creatures Management inside 2012 amassed verified urban centers regarding cougars built-up outside of their founded diversity throughout the 1990-2008.
The results of one’s data suggest that the cougar is recolonizing brand new Midwest with a variety extension eastward. It’s widely reported one to cougars travel a huge selection of kilometers during the research of new territory.
The latest verified sightings into the Tennessee could be due to it assortment extension and you can enough time exploratory walks by transient cougars.
Because you can find large expanses between Tennessee and the founded populations, it should be a long time before cougars make family here.
step one – LaRue, Meters. A great., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, Meters., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and you can Anderson, C. Roentgen. (2012), Cougars is recolonizing the brand new midwest: Studies away from cougar confirmations through the 1990–2008. New Diary out of Creatures Government, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Confirmed Sightings
Since the , there have been a number of confirmed sightings off cougars within the Tennessee. These are given below and therefore are exhibited regarding the Tennessee Confirmed Cougar Sightings Map. When more confirmed sightings are present, they will be extra accordingly.