The cougar has always been a power animal.
—MAX PETERSON
Old Man was mad at Mountain Lion. The short, chunky upstart had stolen his leftover grub while he was snoozing. It wasn’t that Old Man was still hungry; it was the principle of the matter. He’d created Mountain Lion and it was time for the cat to show some respect. Dropping to his hands and knees so he could walk like a bear, Old Man followed Mountain Lion’s tracks over humpbacked hills and through boggy swamps. Eventually he found a pile of freshly gnawed squirrel bones, the remains of his feast. Nearby, Mountain Lion slept on a sun-warmed rock, his belly round and full.
Slowly Old Man snuck up on the sleeping lion until he was close enough to grab its stump of a tail. Mountain Lion shrieked and begged for mercy. But after walking on all fours for a long time, Old Man was really angry. He grasped Mountain Lion’s tail with both hands, put his feet behind the creature’s head and pulled as hard as he could. The lion struggled and yowled but Old Man tugged until the cat’s body was stretched out as far as possible. Then he placed his feet on Mountain Lion’s rump and yanked on the tail until it was as almost as long as the body.
Depending on its sex, the average weight of a full grown cougar is between 35 and 105 kilograms (77 to 230 pounds). The majority of the body is covered with short fur, usually in some variation of tan, grey or red, with creamy white on the underside and face. The cat’s most distinctive feature is its thick, strong tail, which is approximately one-third the length of its body.
Satisfied that Mountain Lion would never steal his food again, Old Man dragged the feline all the way back to the fire where he’d cooked his squirrel meal. He stuck Mountain Lion’s face and the tip of his tail into the smouldering embers until they were singed black. According to a Blackfoot legend, that’s how mountain lions obtained sleek bodies, dark smudges on their muzzles and tails, and their most distinctive feature, a tail that’s approximately one-third the length of their body.
People who see lynx, bobcats, golden labs and even large house cats from a distance often think they’re cougars. It’s estimated that seventy-five percent or more of reported cougar sightings are cases of mistaken identity. So if it doesn’t have a long tail—about a metre (three feet) on an adult—it’s not a cougar. As well as being a distinguishing appendage, the tail serves as a stabilizer, allowing a cougar to maintain its balance while chasing prey over rough terrain. And the combination of a long tail and a super-flexible spine means the cat can twist its body to change direction in mid-leap.
A cougar’s tail is strong too. Biologist Penny Dewar discovered that when she and her husband, Percy, were studying cougars on Vancouver Island in the early 1970s. “After we treed a cougar Percy would shoot it with a tranquillizer dart,” she explained. “We were maybe a little too conservative with the amount of drug we administered one as he staggered around like he was drunk while we tried to measure and examine him.”
Dewar was 167 centimetres tall (five foot five) and only weighed 52 kilograms (115 pounds) at the time but that didn’t stop the twenty-four-year-old from grabbing the cougar by the tail in an attempt to hold it still. “It was about two years old and probably weighed 100 pounds,” she said. “We were about equal in size but not strength. Their tails are long and really thick, like a person’s limb. With one flick of its tail, that cougar sent me flying into the trees.”
Early Native populations living near the Great Lakes believed the twitching of a panther’s tale was responsible for the storms and waves that tipped canoes and flooded villages. It’s said Lake Erie was named after the tribe of the same name and that “Erie” is a short version of an Iroquois term meaning “long tail.” And tribes on both sides of the Canada–US border feared the Underwater Panther, a supernatural creature with the body of a panther, the horns of a deer and a ridge of upright scales along its back.
Scientists have documented the presence of big cats in the Americas since prehistoric times. Many people have heard about the sabre-toothed tiger, the giant jaguar and the massive American lion, weighing in at 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds). But little mention is made of their smaller cousin, the cougar. One theory suggests cougars evolved as a distinct species in North America around 400,000 years ago and gradually made their way to Central and South America. It’s believed the North American cougar became extinct during the last ice age and the continent was later recolonized by a South American species.
Found only in the Americas, cougars originally roamed from northern Canada to the tip of South America and from coast to coast on both continents, including most adjacent islands. They have the greatest latitudinal distribution of any species of wild cat worldwide and are the widest ranging big predator in the western hemisphere. Cougars are highly adaptable and can live in almost any landscape. In coastal British Columbia they favour coniferous and deciduous forests, while Florida panthers prefer native upland forests and saw palmetto thickets. The mountainous desert areas of the southwestern United States and the tropical forests of South America are the prowling grounds of others. Cougars like canyons and escarpments and can survive in areas with little vegetation. But they’re particularly fond of a mix of woods and open areas adjacent to streams, rivers and lakes.
The big cats can be found anywhere from sea level to rugged mountain slopes and often follow their prey up mountains in the summer and down into valley bottoms in the winter. They thrive in areas where there is a combination of adequate prey—primarily deer—and cover in which to stalk them. Ideal stalking habitat could include moderately dense shrubs, woodlands, tall grasses, trees or rough terrain—anything that allows a cougar to sneak up on its quarry.
One reason cougars do so well in such a wide range of habitat is that the colour of their coat tends to blend in no matter what the setting, which is a vital factor when stalking is the primary method of obtaining dinner. But perhaps the real secret of their adaptability lies in their willingness to eat any type of meat, from a mouse to a moose, including livestock and the occasional domestic pet.
The average adult male cougar weighs anywhere from 45 to 105 kilograms (100 to 230 pounds), with females being a bit smaller at 35 to 60 kilograms (77 to 130 pounds). When it comes to the heavyweights of the cat kingdom, only Siberian tigers, African lions and jaguars outrank cougars. Genetically, the cougar’s closest relatives are the jaguar, the largest cat in the Americas, and the cheetah, which is primarily found in Africa and Asia. But there are striking differences between them. The cheetah is taller, lighter and faster than a cougar. It also has a weaker jaw and smaller teeth. In contrast, the jaguar is stockier and heavier and has the nastiest disposition of all three. Cougars and jaguars both have strong jaws and teeth capable of penetrating the skulls of large prey. Another distinguishing feature of jaguars is their husky cough-like roar. Solid hyoid bones in their throats make it impossible for cougars and cheetahs to create that sound.
What’s the difference between cougars, mountain lions and pumas anyway? Absolutely nothing. Guinness World Records recognizes the big cat as having the most names of any animal. Like the majority of Canadians, I call them cougars. That word likely comes from Tupi, a Native Amazon language, and roughly translates as “false deer” or “predator the same colour as a deer.” The term puma originated in the Quechua language of Peru, meaning “mighty magic animal.” It’s said early Incans were so enamoured of the cat they laid out their capital city, Cusco, in the shape of a puma. When explorers and Spanish conquerors arrived in the Americas they mistook cougars for female African lions. Natives told them the creatures lived in the mountains so the newcomers called them mountain lions. Other European explorers thought they were seeing tigers or panthers (a name sometimes used for leopards) so those names were also used.
Today, location is the primary influence on what the feline is called. In Canada the common name is cougar, while mountain lion is often used in the western United States. Catamount (“cat of the mountains”) is still heard occasionally in New England, and in Florida the cat’s known as a panther. Panther was widely used throughout Canada and the US until the mid-twentieth century but is now mostly heard east of the Mississippi River, particularly in the south. Puma is the term of choice in scientific circles and in South America. Cougar, mountain lion and puma are the most frequently used names in the United States and Canada.
The big cat has even had more than one scientific name. It was originally classified in the genus Felis, along with the lynx, the domestic cat and numerous other species. But when scientific evidence revealed cougars were more closely related to cheetahs and jaguars than small cats, the Latin name changed from Felis concolor to Puma concolor, giving the cat status as a unique New World species. Genetic analysis also suggests the number of subspecies is six rather than the former thirty-two. That would give North America one subspecies, Puma concolor cougar. As well as living in a wider variety of habitat, pumas in South America have a wider genetic variation, so they’ve been divided into five subspecies.
A cougar’s facial markings can be exquisitely beautiful. The grey, brown or reddish fur is accented by a white patch around the mouth and long, delicate white whiskers below the nose and along the vertical eyebrows. But what is most striking are the dark markings on the muzzle and around the eyes. Photo by Robyn Barfoot
The concolor part of the big cat’s name, meaning “one colour,” has remained the same. Adult cougars are indeed mostly one colour, which can range from shades of tan to silver, slate grey and even red. Some have a ridge of darker hair running along the spine from head to tail. The fur on the belly, chest, throat and muzzle is creamy white, and there are distinct black markings on the muzzle and the tips of the tail and short, round ears. Long, delicate-looking whiskers sprout from the area between the cougar’s mouth and nose, while more long white hairs accent the cat’s vertical eyebrows. While there is no scientific documentation in the way of photographs or deceased animals, there are reports of black or chocolate-coloured cougars in many regions of North and South America. And the Huron and Seneca cultures have stories referring to a White Lion, or White Panther Man.
Due to its prowess and mystique, the cougar is often heralded by indigenous people as a symbol of physical and spiritual strength. Both feared and revered, the animals were killed by Native peoples in ancient times not only to protect themselves from injury but as a means of gaining prestige and power. Although the meat was rarely eaten, cougar teeth, paws, claws, hides and sometimes heads were worn as signs of authority and rank, used as ceremonial regalia and employed by shamans to guard against enemies, illness and other misfortunes.
In Peru the Incas organized game drives by forming human circles and gradually driving pumas and other predators to the middle, where they were killed. Under cover of darkness Central American Natives lured puma to their death by imitating the calls of distressed prey on instruments made from hollowed-out animal bones and branches. But whether the big cats were killed by bolas, clubs or bows and arrows, there was usually some ceremonial ritual involved and the person slaying the animal often believed some of the cat’s energy and skill would pass on to them.
Early in the last century, Aymara warriors in the Andes drank puma blood for courage, while the Cochiti Warriors Society in New Mexico only admitted men who had killed mountain lions and bears or who had slain and presented the scalp of an enemy Navajo. The Cherokees believed that by remaining awake throughout the seven days and nights of Creation, the cougar and owl achieved the highest level of purity and sacredness. As a reward for their faithful vigilance, the animals were given excellent night vision. The Cherokees honoured the big cat by calling it Klandagi, or Lord of the Forest. The Cheyennes considered the mountain lion a friend and provider, while the Apaches believed that hearing one scream foretold an imminent death. Panther clans were common among eastern tribes such as the Seminoles and Shawnees. And in the dense green rain forests of the Pacific Northwest, Washington state Natives told stories about mountain lions carrying fire from the Olympic Mountains to Mount Rainier each fall, accidentally starting forest fires along the way.
Even today, there are numerous cougar, panther and mountain lion clans throughout the Americas, although some are not as active as they were in the past. The mountain lion is prominent in the culture of the Pueblo peoples of the American southwest, where it is variously considered to be a supernatural patron of warriors and hunters, a protector and the most important of the Pueblo Beast Gods. One of the most amazing tributes to the big cat, the Shrine of the Stone Lions, can be found in Bandelier National Monument Park, 71 kilometres (44 miles) from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Crouching side by side with their tails extended behind them, the bodies of the weather-worn beasts are approximately 1.8 metres (6 feet) long and 0.6 metres (2 feet) high. They are surrounded by a rough rock wall open on the eastern side. Of special significance to both the Cochiti and the Zuni, it’s believed these rare, life-size sculptures were carved by former residents of a nearby pueblo ruin, Yapashi, which may have been occupied between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. A similar shrine lies about 1.6 kilometres (a mile) away but one of the lions was dynamited by a scavenger around 1875.
Often called the icon of Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park, this mountain lion petroglyph was discovered near Blue Mesa in 1934. The 38 by 15 centimetre (15 by 6 inch) rock carving was probably created in the twelfth or thirteenth century. It’s notable for the shape of the mouth, possibly representing the flehmen response, which occurs when some animals open and curl their lips back when responding to certain smells such as urine or sex pheromones. Photo by Katherine Hall
Using plant-based dyes and small rocks, Natives painstakingly painted and pecked mountain lion images onto cliffs and rock faces and in caves throughout the southwestern United States. By chipping away at the dark varnish coating desert rocks, artists revealed the lighter-coloured rock beneath, bringing their visions to life. One of the most outstanding examples was found in 1934 near Blue Mesa in what is now Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. With its stylized feet and claws, long lean body and tail curving up over the spine, this mountain lion petroglyph is a classic example of early Native southwestern culture.
For many southwestern tribes the mountain lion is an icon of power, protection and friendship. It’s revered by the Hopi as a guardian kachina (ancestral spirit) and associated with the colour yellow. In ancient times the Zuni believed mountain lions had the ability to facilitate communication between humans and spiritual deities. In some pueblos medicine men wore strips of mountain lion hide and claws around their necks and forearms as a safeguard against witches. Others called upon the predator’s energy to both kill and cure.
Fetishes have long been part of Native American culture in the southwestern US. These small stone carvings are said to contain the spirits of the animals they resemble. In the past they were often used as talismans to guide individuals on journeys or to ensure good hunting by transforming from stone into living creatures that could chase down prey. As the big cat was a dominant prey god, mountain lion fetishes were highly valued, especially by hunters, warriors and shamans. Traditional renditions always depict the tail curving up over the spine while modern versions may show the tail hanging toward the ground or over the back and down the side. Modern characteristics associated with cougar fetishes include authority, leadership and self-confidence.
South of the US, the jaguar trumps the puma when it comes to physical presence and symbolism. Archaeological findings reveal jaguars on jewelry, pottery and carvings much more often than pumas. And while both cats are linked to the supernatural, jaguars are more closely identified with fertility and sexuality. Still, puma skins, claws and teeth were often used by Native groups as hunting trophies and indications of a noble presence and influence.
Although the felines often share the same habitat, they’re not buddies. As James H. Gunnerson noted in Icons of Power: Feline Symbolism in the Americas, pumas and jaguars do fight each other and the pumas often win.
Considering how plentiful cougars are in western Canada today, it’s surprising that they are so rarely featured in traditional Northwest Coast culture. When asked why, Andy Everson, a First Nations artist and member of the K'ómoks Band on the central east coast of Vancouver Island, said, “The cougar is not considered an ancestor so there is no crest figure representing it.”
A totem pole that does feature a cougar was carved in 1865 at the village of Kitwanga in the Gitxsan territory of northwestern BC. Natives told researcher Norman Tait that a cougar appeared by the upper Skeena River one day and killed a chief’s daughter. Some of her relatives chased the cat into the water, destroyed it and adopted the animal as a family crest.
Lyn Hancock noted in her 1980 Simon Fraser University thesis that Stoney and Sarcee Natives in Alberta were terrified of cougars due to their aggressive and stealthy ways. She also mentioned that the Coast Salish of British Columbia only occasionally roasted, steamed or boiled cougar meat to eat. And that makes sense as coastal Natives could more easily access the abundant larder of the sea than creatures living in the thick forests where hunting was sometimes difficult. Cougar skins were considered valuable, however, and were worn as symbols of power and self-assurance. A ceremonial dance and story from the Nuu-chah-nulth on the west coast of Vancouver Island tells of a young boy slaying a ferocious cougar and throwing it on a fire. As the ashes of the dead cat drifted up from the flames they were transformed into mosquitoes, which like the cougar feast on the blood of their prey.
In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Hurons and Senecas of southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States considered the panther a personal guardian spirit and carved elaborate pipes representing them. Some featured the long bodies and tails of the cats; others depicted panther men with brass or copper eyes. These power panthers were also used as embellishments on hair combs and war clubs.
Today, whether it’s an object of worship or worry, the cougar remains culturally significant for many North and South American indigenous peoples. Ceremonies continue to be held at the Shrine of the Stone Lions and other sacred locations and many traditional beliefs are maintained. But it’s unlikely that even the greatest of the old shamans could have foreseen the amount of attention that would be focused on the cougar in the future, the misconceptions that would surround the animal and the changes that would threaten its survival.