by Stefani Andrews

Created on: June 07, 2011   Last Updated: June 08, 2011

The cougar, also called the mountain lion, panther, and puma is a formidable forest predator.  It is a tan colored large predatory cat, it has a short snout, and black tipped ears and tail.  The male cougar can weigh up to 150 pounds and be 8 feet long from nose to tail.  The female is slightly smaller and rarely tops 90 pounds and around 7 feet long from the nose to the tip of the tail. 

Cougars live in many different forest environments, most notably all along the western coast of the United States.  It is not unusual to find cougars in mountainous regions all across the United States as well as northwestern Canada and along the western coast of South America.  Cougars used to also be prevalent in Europe but due to excessive hunting it has largely disappeared from the area and some scientists believe it to be gone from the wilds of Europe entirely.

Normally cougars are solitary predators and very elusive.  Any contact with humans at all is uncommon and attacks on humans are very rare.  Occasionally humans may catch a glimpse of a cougar in the trees while camping or hiking but the cat usually disappears quickly.  The cougar's predatory behavior is the same as any other cat.  They tend to stalk their prey from the shadows and then make a surprise attack from a crouch when they have the advantage.  Although attacks on humans are rare, it is always important to be prepared if you are planning on camping in cougar territory. 

The most important step you can make is by making sure that you are not attracting predators to your campsite at all.  Generally, the wildlife will give humans a wide berth unless they are drawn in by something enticing.  Do not have food out in the open for an extended period of time.  If the food is not in an airtight container then it should be hoisted into a tree and out of easy reach from anything that is on the ground.  While cougars can easily scale trees to reach it, they are more likely to investigate a campsite that makes the food easy to reach rather than having to work for it.  If you are camping with a dog, make sure that the dog is properly secured at night.  A wandering dog could set of a cougar's natural predatory instinct and lure it into the camp. 

Do not wander away from the campsite or go hiking alone, especially at dusk or after dark.  You should always keep small children in view as well.  Predators are more likely

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