New cougar (Puma concolor), called hill lion, panther, painter, puma, and you will catamount, is the premier feline animal inside United states.
Similar to Tennessee’s crazy elk and you may buffalo, brand new cougar are extirpated in the condition within early 1900s due to overhunting and you may habitat losings. Although not, this new cougar is generally going back so you can Tennessee. There are some affirmed sightings in Tennessee.
The brand new cougar is one of the loved ones Felidae (pet household members) which is on the purchase Carnivora. That it effective predator range off 5 to eight ? feet as a whole length and you may weighs off 70 in order to 250 lbs, with men becoming bigger than female.
People was highest sleek cats which have small thoughts. The ears are black colored towards the top top and generally are small and you will game without tufts out-of tresses. This new muzzle is light towards end and you will black in which they joins the head.
Cougars provides a lengthy heavy cylindrical tail ranging in length regarding 20 so you’re able to 31 inches, for the last few in blackish in color. Claws is retractable consequently they are very seldom element of a tune.
Cougar fur could be a powerful bronze colour to your higher bits with white undersides. Slight distinctions produces new good brown pet keeps a red, yellow, otherwise grayish tinge.
No black colour phase (termed melanistic) out-of a cougar provides ever before been reported. You will find, yet not, files regarding melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) that inhabit Mexico and southern area so you’re able to north Argentina, as well as melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) from inside the Africa.
New bobcat ‘s the only almost every other creature of the cat (Felidae) family relations that is available inside Tennessee. Bobcats change from cougars within their proportions, color, and you may end duration. He’s much smaller than cougars, varying in the weight from ten so you’re able to forty weight, while a great cougar starts in the 70 lbs. Their layer isn’t uniform when you look at the colour including the cougar’s however, is marked that have black colored places and you can streaks. They likewise have indicated ears which have tresses tufts, in the place of this new cougar. The fresh new bobcat’s end seems “bobbed”, and therefore new animal’s label, which will be typically 3 to eight inches long, that is very short when comparing to the latest end of a beneficial cougar.
Diversity
The newest cougar takes up the quintessential comprehensive set of one “” new world “” terrestrial mammal, regarding Canadian Yukon to the south suggestion away from South america.
In the usa, cougars live in the brand new west area and you can continue eastward as much as new west edge of the Dakotas, Nebraska, and you may close to the eastern boundaries out-of Texas and Colorado.
A study published in the Record of Wildlife Management in 2012 accumulated verified metropolises from cougars built-up outside of its created range during the 1990-2008.
The outcome of one’s research recommend that the fresh new cougar is recolonizing the fresh new Midwest which have a range expansion eastward. It is widely reported you to cougars travelling a huge selection of kilometers for the search of brand new area.
Brand new previous verified sightings inside the Tennessee could be a direct result that it diversity expansion and you will enough time exploratory treks from the transient cougars.
Considering that you will find large expanses ranging from Tennessee plus the mainly based populations, it’ll be long before cougars make domestic right here.
1 – LaRue, Meters. A great., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, M., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and you will Anderson, C. Roentgen. (2012), Cougars is recolonizing brand new midwest: Study out of cougar confirmations while in the 1990–2008. This new Record off Wildlife Government, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Confirmed Sightings
Since the , there have been a number of confirmed sightings regarding cougars within the Tennessee. Talking about listed below and are usually shown in the Tennessee Affirmed Cougar Sightings Chart. Whenever significantly more affirmed sightings are present, they shall be added accordingly.