The second largest cat in the Americas, cougars are native to the western half of North America and can be found throughout Central and South America. They also inhabit a small part of Florida.
Unlike other large cats, cougars do not roar, but the female purrs like a housecat. In fact, the big cat resembles a housecat in shape with a long, slender body and round head.
Cougars are solitary creatures, but when it comes to courtship the male has got major game.
The female cougar can begin breeding between 2 and 3 years of age. When she is ready to mate she goes into heat and produces a particular scent to alert the males she is ready to start a family. She becomes very active and playful, and will "headbutt" shrubs and trees. Cats have two scent glands at their temples- the act of rubbing her head on everything in her territory leaves traces of her scent as a signal for young, virile males to find.
If she likes his song, and he proved he will be a good, strong provider based on how high he climbed for her, she will begin singing a duet with him. This signals to him that she wants him, and he will rush to her side to begin his husbandly duties.
They will play, cuddle and wrestle, and mate up to 70 times a day over the next week to ten days, during which time they will rarely leave each other's sides.
After the female is pregnant, the male will return to his rogue, solitary lifestyle.
The female will raise and train their 2-3 cubs, wistfully regaling the little boy cubs with the romantic tales of their father, so when they grow up they too will have great cat love game and be able to land themselves the prettiest lady cat on the mountain.
Images via Pixabay and Pexels
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Not the article I was expecting.... still good... just not what I was expecting. :)
... O I see...
and yes, I do see where your mind was ;)
Nicely told mating story of our big wild cat. Now I must find out who the biggest cat is in the Americas.
Thank you! The Jaguar is the largest :)
I just read up on the Jag. A magnificent animal. Thanks for post.
Agreed :). Thanks for reading!
I have seen the panther crossing signs here in Florida but of course they are very much endangered. Too much in-breeding going on.
What are they being bred with?
I am happy to hear that!
There are approximately 100 breeds of cat.
And they all come from the wildcat subspecies Felis silvestris lybica, which call the remote deserts of Israel and Arabia home. This is why your house kitty is drawn to warm patches of sun- to honor its ancestors ;)
A healthy cat has a temperature between 38 and 39 degrees Celcius.
Until he has been baking in that patch of sun for an hour ;)
The cat's clavicle, or collarbone, does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This lack of a functioning collarbone allows them to fit through any opening the size of their head.
Can one be so crazy to train this at home instead of a usual cat? Lol
I have read accounts of people in the 60's having cougars as housepets!
No way... Crazy stuff. Would be awesome though.
When I hear the word cougar I think of a totally different type. :)
You and @andrewgenaille came here expecting something totally different ;)
Different but the same maybe?
Thank's for sharing @arbitrarykitten
Thanks for reading!
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Nice post! Cougars are very nice. Still like cheetahs more though :)
Cheetahs are amazing creatures :)
Yes they are 🙂
Interesting... :D LOL, gotta love mating story.
Lol!
Really informative post!
At least I got to learn about cougars and the lion species
Thank you!
Steemit helping lots of lives out here
Thank you for reading!
Interesting thanks so much for sharing! Important info here!
Happy to hear that!
Love your posts!
That makes me happy, thank you so much!
Happiness is awesome. Have you seen The Pursuit of Happyness?
With Will Smith, oh yes. Phenomenal film. And a true story! I cried so much...
I just watched it this afternoon!
I love the way you described this :)
Thanks for the education on cougar mating rituals :)
I'm happy you enjoyed it :)
A nice post, I would appreciate a follownand upvote
Thanks!
Great article really informative. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for reading!
These are prevalent in the mountains of my state, North Carolina. So much so that Western Carolina University's mascot is the Catamounts...a third name?
I'd LOVE to have one of these as a pet, but alas, I don't much believe in holding animals that can take care of themselves captive. My tiny cats are sometimes so rip-roaring it seems the house will collapse, so perhaps dreams of acting like I could own this behemoth would be absurd.
Great post.
Yes, Catamount is another name for cougars, though not often used.
I know what you mean! My cute and sweet little kitties sound like a herd of buffalo tearing through the house when they play! How can something so small be so loud?!!
Oh wow! Never knew cougars mated like that. This was such an interesting read and I am so amazed by how well you can write at almost any topic. Brilliant!
The male is quite charming, isn't he? <3
Thank you so much!
Oh he definitely is. Very attractive!
Still, a better love story than Twilight! :)
Honestly, I didn't know that Pumas and Cougars are the same thing.
Thanks for the post. Cheers!
Oh cool! Glad to have cleared that up :)
hehehehe I have to say too.... also not at all what I was expecting to read hehe ;) but a great piece nonetheless :)
Lol! You know, I usually give a decent amount of thought to my titles, you know, look at them from varying angles... But this time? I totally missed that until the first comment! I guess it was meant to be :)
Everything that have to do with FELINES is worth to read <3
Lol, hello! And wonderful meeting you <3