New cougar (Puma concolor), also known as slope lion, panther, painter, puma, and you can catamount, is the biggest feline creature into the America.
Just like Tennessee’s nuts elk and buffalo, the fresh cougar are extirpated on county in the early 1900s due to overhunting and you can habitat losings. But not, new cougar may be coming back to Tennessee. There were particular affirmed sightings into the Tennessee.
The brand new cougar is one of the family members Felidae (pet family members) that is throughout the purchase Carnivora. That it strong predator range of 5 to eight ? foot in total size and weighs in at out of 70 to 250 weight, which have males getting larger than females.
People are high smooth cats which have short thoughts. Its ears was black to the top side and are also small and you will rounded no tufts out-of hair. The brand new muzzle is light towards end and you will black where they joins your face.
Cougars features a lengthy heavier cylindrical tail ranging in total of 20 so you can 30 in, towards last couple of ins blackish from inside the colour. Claws are retractable as they are very hardly ever part of a tune.
Cougar fur can be a very good tan colour into top parts having white undersides. Slight differences renders new strong brownish cat has actually a reddish, yellow, or grayish tinge.
Zero black colored color stage (called melanistic) off an excellent cougar possess actually become recorded. There is, although not, files off melanistic jaguars (Panthera onca) you to definitely are now living in Mexico and you may south so you’re able to northern Argentina, together with melanistic leopards (Panthera pardus) inside the Africa.
The brand new bobcat ‘s the only most other creature belonging to the pet (Felidae) household members which can be found in Tennessee. Bobcats change from cougars in their dimensions, coloration, and you may tail length. He’s far smaller than cougars, starting in pounds of ten so you can 40 weight, whereas a good cougar starts in the 70 pounds. Their coat is not uniform for the colour including the cougar’s but are noted which have black colored spots and you can streaks. They also have pointed ears which have locks tufts, rather than the new cougar. The fresh new bobcat’s tail seems “bobbed”, and this brand new animal’s name, that will be generally speaking step three to eight in long, which is very short in comparison to new tail away from a good cougar.
Range
The latest cougar takes up the essential extensive range of any “” new world “” terrestrial mammal, on the Canadian Yukon towards southern area idea off South america.
In the united states, cougars live-in the new western part and you may extend eastward in terms of the west edge of brand new Dakotas, Nebraska, and you will nearby the east limitations away from Colorado and Tx.
A study composed regarding the Log out of Creatures Management within the 2012 built-up verified locations regarding cougars amassed beyond the founded range during 1990-2008.
The outcome of your own research recommend that new cougar was recolonizing the fresh Midwest having a selection expansion eastward. It is widely reported you to cougars travel hundreds of miles during the look of the latest territory.
New present confirmed sightings when you look at the Tennessee could be a direct result which range extension and you can a lot of time exploratory treks by the transient cougars.
Since there are high expanses between Tennessee and oriented communities, it’ll be long before cougars make their home here.
step one – LaRue, M. An excellent., Nielsen, C. K., Dowling, Yards., Miller, K., Wilson, B., Shaw, H. and Anderson, C. Roentgen. (2012), Cougars is actually recolonizing the latest midwest: Investigation from cougar confirmations during 1990–2008. The fresh new Journal of Animals Administration, 76: 1364–1369. doi: /jwmg.396
Verified Sightings
As , there have been several affirmed sightings from cougars in Tennessee. Speaking of given just below and tend to be displayed throughout the Tennessee Confirmed Cougar Sightings Chart. When even more affirmed sightings occur, they’ll certainly be extra consequently.