New cougar (Puma concolor), called mountain lion, panther, painter, puma, and catamount, is the largest feline animal inside the United states.
Like Tennessee’s wild elk and you can buffalo, brand new cougar was extirpated on the county inside the very early 1900s due to overhunting and you can environment loss. But not, the new cougar may be returning to Tennessee. There were particular affirmed sightings into the Tennessee.
Brand new cougar is one of the relatives Felidae (cat loved ones) that is regarding acquisition Carnivora. Which powerful predator range of 5 to 8 ? feet as a whole size and you may weighs from 70 to 250 lbs, with people are larger than female.
Adults are large sleek pets having small thoughts. The ears is black colored into higher top and generally are quick and you can game with no tufts from hair. Brand new muzzle was white into avoid and you can black colored in which it matches your mind.
Cougars keeps an extended heavy cylindrical end starting in total away from 20 to help you 29 in, on the last couple of inches blackish in the color. Claws try collapsible and they are extremely hardly ever element of a song.
Cougar fur is a powerful bronze colour to the upper pieces which have light undersides. Slight distinctions helps make new solid brownish cat keeps a red, yellow, otherwise grayish tinge.
Zero black color stage (termed melanistic) off a beneficial cougar possess ever become noted. You will find, but not, papers out-of melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) that live in Mexico and you may southern area so you can north Argentina, along with melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Africa.
New bobcat ‘s the merely most other animal belonging to the cat (Felidae) relatives that’s available inside Tennessee. Bobcats change from cougars inside their size, color, and you can end duration. He’s much smaller than cougars, ranging in pounds regarding ten to forty lbs, whereas a good cougar starts on 70 pounds. Their layer isn’t consistent inside the colour including the cougar’s but is designated that have black colored locations and you may streaks. They also have directed ears which have tresses tufts, as opposed to the brand new cougar. The new bobcat’s tail looks “bobbed”, and therefore the newest animal’s term, and that’s usually step 3 to 8 inches long, that’s short when compared to the tail from a good cougar.
Variety
The newest cougar uses up by far the most comprehensive list of any “” new world “” terrestrial mammal, in the Canadian Yukon towards the southern area suggestion of South usa.
In the united states, cougars inhabit new west region and you can extend eastward as much as the fresh new western side of the brand new Dakotas, Nebraska, and you can close to the eastern borders out of Tx and you will Colorado.
A study typed on the Record out-of Animals Management in 2012 obtained verified locations off cougars obtained outside the built assortment throughout 1990-2008.
The outcome of your data suggest that the cougar is recolonizing the newest Midwest having a selection extension eastward echat sign in. It is widely reported that cougars traveling countless kilometers inside the lookup of new region.
The new latest verified sightings during the Tennessee is due to it variety expansion and you will enough time exploratory walks of the transient cougars.
Because you can find high expanses ranging from Tennessee and also the based communities, it will likely be long before cougars make their family right here.
step 1 – LaRue, M. A great., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and you may Anderson, C. R. (2012), Cougars are recolonizing the fresh midwest: Data regarding cougar confirmations throughout the 1990–2008. New Log out-of Creatures Government, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Affirmed Sightings
While the , there are several affirmed sightings of cougars for the Tennessee. These are listed below and therefore are displayed in the Tennessee Verified Cougar Sightings Map. When a lot more confirmed sightings occur, they are additional accordingly.